Bloodshed
by thelittletaco
Summary: A group of demons are in search for blood of the strongest youkai, which leads to the blood of the inu-youkai's. Constantly aiming for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, what could they possibly achieve with their blood?
1. Unusual Occurence

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.**

 **Note: Hello and thank you for clicking on my first story on this site. This is my first attempt on writing an adventure story, so I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Edit: To new readers, this story is under some minor editing. I'm currently changing some Japanese terms into English ones, so you'll probably notice that I use an English term here, and a Japanese term in the next chapter. This note will disappear once I've finished editing all chapters. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.**

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 **Chapter 1:**

 **Unusual Occurence**

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Inuyasha groaned for the hundredth time. They had been walking for hours (he was sure of it) and couldn't find any signs of Naraku nor the jewel shards. They couldn't even find a village after walking for quite some time, and now, he had reached a conclusion where they were basically wasting time. Though, the others seemed to be having fun while walking; giggling as they exchange words with each other. His hands clenched from under the sleeves of his suikan. He was becoming restless. He needed to do something— _anything_ —other than walking aimlessly like this. To also prove that they weren't taking this search seriously, Kagome was walking happily beside a walking Shippo. If they were on a normal run, she would've been on his back by now.

He groaned again.

"Is something the matter, Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned, noticing his friend's current behaviour.

" _Yeah_ , something is wrong. We aren't doing anything. Kagome isn't sensing shards, no demons are around here, not even Naraku!"

Kagome shook her head. "You should relax a little, Inuyasha. You fight too much," she tilted her head upwards to look at the sky. "You should enjoy the sceneries before another fight really breaks out."

"Keh! I don't need to relax and enjoy. I like it more when we battle."

Shippo shook his head with his arms crossed. "Of course, only Inuyasha enjoys fighting. Wait 'til you hurt yourself again before you take it back—"

"You got somethin' to say, runt?!"

Shippo squeaked and jumped behind Kagome for defense. Kagome folded her arms as Inuyasha was about to attack the fox. He stopped right in front of her, pausing himself as he weighed his options. Thumping the fox's head would lead him to being 'sat', but satisfied, or he could ignore, not get 'sat', but unable to knock the kid. He scratched his head at those hard choices, making it obvious to Kagome that he was deciding whether or not to still attack Shippo.

Kagome sighed when Inuyasha let out another 'keh' before he turned around. It looked like he had chosen to let the fox go. He sometimes could be as childish as Shippo, that's for sure. But she was glad that he didn't attack the child. That saved another 'sit' for now.

Sango stopped beside Miroku. Both of their bodies tensed when they sensed the same thing.

"Do you feel it, Sango?" Miroku asked and looked around.

"Yeah," she said, reaching for the Hiraikotsu that was attached behind her back. "I sense a demonic aura. Though, it feels a little weird, right, Miroku?"

"I agree. There is definitely something different about this one."

Inuyasha stopped moving and sniffed the air. Just like Miroku and Sango, he could sense something—it was an unfamiliar scent. The scent told him that the thing was still far away, yet, the smell was close. His eyes darted around the area with his hand over the hilt of Tessaiga. His lips curled into a smirk at the thought of being able to fight today. Maybe all this pointless walking wasn't pointless after all.

All of a sudden, a girl appeared a meter away from him, unbelievably out of thin air. She landed on one feet, followed by the other, gracefully on the ground. She was a kid, a few inches taller than Shippo. Her hair was jet black, short and had a fringe. She was wearing a plain violet yukata that reached below her knees. She had a creamy-coloured obi on her waist. Her eyes—there was something he hated about her eyes—were black. It looked lifeless, like an empty void that held no emotions. Her skin was pale like the dead.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha asked, his fingertips brushing Tessaiga's hilt.

"We want you," was her soft reply.

" _We_? So there's more of you?"

"We want you," she repeated, her voice naturally like a whisper.

In a blink, she had appeared right in front of him, her face only inches away from him. As his eyes looked down at an abrupt movement, he could see her hands reached out and her index finger touching his chest. With one touch, the hanyou was pushed back with such force, that he was thrown away to the ground. Dirt stuck on his face, and his body ached after the rough roll on the ground. He groaned and pushed himself up with one elbow.

"D-Damn it..."

"Inuyasha!" Shippo and Kagome cried.

"I'm fine! Just stay there!" he yelled, making them stop.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Sango threw the Hiraikotsu right at the girl, but the girl swiftly dodged it by moving a step back. Sango caught her Hiraikotsu again and stared at the girl in disbelief. The girl just dodged the thing only by _moving_ a step back. She didn't even bother to leap or anything. The girl stared at Sango for a few seconds before looking back at Inuyasha.

"We want you."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," Inuyasha said as he unsheathed Tessaiga. "But you're not gonna have me for whatever reason!"

The girl didn't even blink as she stared at him. Her lifeless eyes remained only on him.

Inuyasha didn't give her time to do anything else. He swung Tessaiga. "Kaze no Kizu!"

The blow caused the ground to form several holes. Miroku's body froze as he realized that he had almost been hit. He leaped back and stood beside Kirara at a safe distance, not wanting to be the next target of Inuyasha's sword. He fought the urge to use his Wind Tunnel. He decided against it and have more faith in his friends. He shouldn't use the Wind Tunnel carelessly. He should only use it when things are out of control. So far, Inuyasha and Sango are fairly handling it well.

When the girl was gone, Inuyasha gripped harder on Tessaiga's hilt.

"Is she gone?" Kagome asked and glanced around.

"No, she's still–"

Before he could even move the moment he detected that the scent was behind him, he could feel her touch on his back and a force threw him a few meters to the front, narrowly missing Kagome and Shippo. He landed on the ground roughly, rolled on it for a few seconds before he came to a stop. Tessaiga was out of his hold, but still within his reach. The girl's attack this time was stronger than before, and she only used a finger for her attack.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?!" Kagome shouted and ran towards him. She bent down and scanned his body. "Inuyasha, you're hurt."

"I'm fine," he breathed out and grabbed Tessaiga, ready to attack again.

"Inuyasha..." the child spoke, her eyes trained on the ground. "...his... name..."

"Hiraikotsu!"

Sango had attacked the girl faster before Inuyasha could do so. It was obvious that the child hadn't anticipated the move since she didn't move an inch. The Hiraikotsu sliced the girl in half. Her upper half flew in the air for a few seconds before the gravity started pulling her down to the earth. Before her upper body almost reached the ground, her body glowed and dispersed in the air, never giving the girl the chance to touch the grass.

Before the body disappeared, they heard the last words that came out of her lips, "We will get you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha unconsciously shivered at her words. Once the kid was totally gone, he allowed himself to drop on the ground and exhaled deeply. His friends ran over to him, concern expressions written on their faces. Kagome was the one with the most worried look.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" she asked as she knelt on the grass beside him.

"I'm fine," he replied and Tessaiga returned to its rusty form inside his hand. "That kid just caught me off guard."

"I think that child is not really alive," Miroku stated and held his chin thoughtfully. "It seems more like a puppet, but with very little life. Whatever it is, it is stronger than I had anticipated. I heard that a person or a demon can cast their puppet with power, but I would've never thought that it would reach to the point of only having to use one finger to attack."

"Moreover, what does she want with Inuyasha?" Sango asked. "She kept saying 'we', so does that mean others will come for him too?"

"Most likely," Miroku replied.

Inuyasha hissed as Kagome reached out for his arm. She flinched back, didn't expect the injuries to sting so much. He had never looked so pained before, so this was quite shocking.

"It hurts that bad?"

"No," Inuyasha lied through gritted teeth and stood up. "Look, don't worry about me. I had worse."

"Inuyasha, I want you to show me your arm."

"No."

"Inuyasha..."

He cringed at her tone and reluctantly pulled the sleeve of his suikan. Everyone gasped at the bruises; dark purple spots surrounding his whole arm. He had only been thrown twice, so why does it look like a boulder had hit him more than ten times? Everyone looked at the half-demon worriedly, causing him to take a step back.

"I said I'm fine, alright?! So will ya stop lookin' at me like–"

"Inuyasha, this is not fine! Not _fine_ at all!" Kagome shouted and forcefully took his arm in order to examine it again. "How did she do this? What did she do?"

Miroku stepped forward knowingly. "Inuyasha, what did you feel when she touched you?"

"Uh..." his ears flattened on his head. "It felt like lightning running through my body?"

"Miroku?" Kagome asked, looking at the thinking monk.

"I've read some scrolls that a skillful puppet master can insert a type of power inside their puppets. From that fight just now, it seems that one touch was all she needed to send waves of energy inside Inuyasha's body. Internal damage is a rare power and hard to insert in the puppet itself. You have to be very good in mastering puppets to give your puppets that power," Miroku pointed to Inuyasha. "So even if Inuyasha had not hit the ground, he would still be hurt. It's like sending thunder inside a person's whole body. It does damage from the inside, so no violence was actually needed."

"The whole body?" Sango asked in shock. "Not just his arm?"

"Keh! It doesn't hurt that much," Inuyasha said and turned away.

They heard a very faint whimper coming from the half-demon as he took a step away from them. Kagome hurried to his side, careful not to touch him in case she landed on his injuries. "Inuyasha, let me see it."

"No. Leave me alone."

"Inuyasha, please! If it's bad, then we should really find a place to rest!"

"I said I'm fine, wench!"

" _Inuyasha_..." she warned.

His eyes shut tightly, expecting a 'sit'. But it never came. His ears twitched slightly and he slowly opened both eyes. Kagome's expression had softened.

"I'm not going to use the word on you, okay? Now, let me see."

A few more pleading from the girl finally let the half-demon to take off his suikan. He was on the ground now, his legs crossed. With his hair over one side of his shoulder, he lowered his kosode and revealed his back to everyone. All of them let out a gasp and he could imagine that it must've looked really bad. To be honest, it hurts—of course he wouldn't admit it—but he has healing powers so there's nothing to worry about. Those nasty bruises and spots would soon disappear in a few hours. It's just the healing that takes time.

Kagome poked at his back, causing him to jerk from her touch. A pain shot him from where she had poked with her finger. He had never faced bruises that hurt this much. Most of the time, he could bear them and ignore it, but this time, he just couldn't get the pain to go away from his mind.

"Gods, Inuyasha," Kagome muttered and retreated her hand. She turned around to face the others. "We should search for a village. It won't do good if demons start attacking us here, especially if it targets Inuyasha."

"Keh! I can handle them."

"You literally jerked back when I just _touched_ you Inuyasha."

"W-Well..." he stammered. He then poked his nose up high. "That doesn't mean I still can't handle them."

Everyone sighed in defeat, knowing too well that the half-demon wouldn't admit that he was in pain.

Inuyasha put on his kosode and suikan back, and watched as Sango got on Kirara's back. Kagome just stood there, waiting for him behind the nekomata. He raised a brow as she gestured for him to sit on Kirara.

"I can walk," he frowned.

"Don't be silly. I know it hurts."

"My feet don't hurt _that_ much—"

"Will you quit being so stubborn and just get on Kirara already?!" she yelled, and took a deep breath. "Geez, it's okay to admit that you're hurt, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha lowered his head and slowly raised one leg to get on Kirara's back. He ignored the stinging and sat quietly behind Sango. He looked back at Kagome, puzzled.

"What about you, Kagome?"

Shippo poofed and turned into a giant, pink, floating head. "I'll carry Kagome!"

"Yeah, I'll ride on Shippo," she clarified and hopped on the fox's round form. "That's alright with you, right, Shippo?"

"Yup! If it's only you, I can handle it."

Sango shifted the Hiraikotsu on her back. She glanced back to everyone else. "Are we good to go?"

Everyone nodded and they started making their way to find a nearby village.

During their journey in search for a village, all of them were quiet as they were all deep in thought.

If the girl was a puppet, who does she belong to?

What does she want with Inuyasha?

Or is Inuyasha really their only target?


	2. Puppet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.**

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 **Chapter 2:**

 **Puppet**

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" _Riiiiiinnnnn_ —!"

"Master Jaken, Rin is right here."

Jaken stopped at where the voice came from and snapped his head to the side. On the ground, he found Rin bent down with her hand reached out, ready to pluck out some of the flowers from the bush. She was now blinking at him with those innocent honey eyes; wondering what caused him to freak out so much.

As for Jaken, there were multiple reasons on why he freaked out like that. One of them was when his mind instantly led to Sesshomaru during the girl's disappearance.

"Rin! Don't do that ever again!" Jaken scolded.

"Rin just wanted to get these pretty flowers," she said and sniffed the bundle of flowers in her hands. "They are pretty, right, Master Jaken?"

Jaken sighed and looked away, ignoring the girl. "Lord Sesshomaru would take my head if he finds out that I let you out of my sight..."

"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken almost dropped his two-faced staff at the sound of Rin's voice, startled because he was just thinking about his lord. Once he had gotten ahold of his staff again, he faced up and found Sesshomaru glancing around as if he was in search for something. The golden orbs that belonged to the demon lord darted at the surroundings—which wasn't a good sign. It started making the toad anxious.

"Lord Sesshomaru, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Silence, Jaken."

Jaken let out a tiny squeak, before he immediately clamped his mouth shut at the order. Every movement in his body came to a pause as he observed his lord in _silence_ this time. From the looks of it, Sesshomaru, was indeed, expecting something. He watched as his lord sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes.

Rin blinked at the dog demon's side. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

Rin and Jaken turned their heads to where Sesshomaru had looked. There was a little girl standing not far from them. She had dark, short hair with a fringe. She was wearing a violet kimono with a pale obi around her waist. She stared at them with empty eyes. It gave goosebumps to both; the human girl and the toad.

"What is your purpose of being here?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice holding slight annoyance.

"We want you," the girl whispered.

He eyed the girl carefully as she took a step forward. Then, all of a sudden, she vanished, leaving a smoke of dust behind, and reappeared right in front of him in the air. He leapt to the back the moment he caught sight of her finger trying to touch him. Landing on the ground not far away from her, he carefully examined the child. From the way she was trying to touch him, he suspected that her index finger held a power that was waiting to be released.

During the few seconds where everything stood motionless, Sesshoumaru realized that this girl was a puppet. Her eyes weren't exactly empty. Instead, there was a tiny glint of life in there. He assumed that the child has a skillful puppet master for being able to have such great speed. Still, he had no clue what the puppet was capable of.

Meanwhile, the puppet-girl stood still at her current position as if she was in deep shock, but her expressionless face said otherwise. She then slowly rotated her head to look at him from where she was standing.

"We want you," she repeated in the same whisper-like tone.

Again, she had disappeared. But this time, instead of appearing in front of him, she had spawned right behind him. Upon sensing her presence, he was about to swipe his claws at her, when he felt her touch his back. His eyes widened ever so slightly as a force threw him to the front.

In mid air, his body had somehow rotated so that his back was facing the line of trees. He could feel himself crashing into each tree bark, the sound of wood-splitting disturbed his ears. As he was still being thrown aback, he watched as the previous trees he had crashed into had been left with only their stumps. With this force, he noted that a normal human would've died the moment they crash into the first tree.

As he was about to land on the hard ground, he did what it seemed as a backflip, and landed gracefully on his feet. He merely brushed off some of the splinters that had gotten onto his kimono, his face impassive.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Are you alright?" Rin called from afar.

"Rin, stay where you are."

He doubted at first that she could hear his voice from where he was standing now, but with the barely visible nod that came from her, he knew that his instruction had been heard.

Rin obediently sat close to Jaken, not daring to interfere the battle her lord was in. Her hand somehow had made its way to the toad's arm, clinging onto it. The toad, on the other hand, wasn't aware of it, and seemed to be more occupied with his master.

The two of them watched from the side as Sesshomaru closed the distance between the puppet and himself. The tip of his index and middle finger glowed green and a poisonous whip lashed out to the girl.

The girl dodged the attack and teleported right in front of him. Before her index finger could touch him again, Sesshomaru had proved himself to be faster as he used his whip to tear her body apart. Her body glowed before it started to dissipate.

Before she disappeared, he didn't fail to hear the last words she had muttered, "Sessho... maru..."

With the same stoned expression, he stared as the child vanished. Based on his knowledge, a puppet wasn't this fragile. But he expected it was because the master had to increase the puppet's speed and power, that led the puppet to become an easy kill once the opponent manages to strike its body.

Finally having enough thoughts about the puppet, he glared down at his claws, his whip having retreated back into the two fingers. A small amount of green liquid had gathered around his nails. He let out a small sound of dissatisfaction, flicked the leftover poison on his hands, and started walking back to his two followers.

Jaken and Rin ran over to him, worried expressions on their faces as they stared down on his arm that had accidentally slipped out of the sleeve of his kimono. Purplish bruises had formed around the pale hand he had revealed. They were sure that his whole arm was covered with those dark spots. Though, he doesn't seem to be affected by it at all.

"Lord Sesshomaru! You're hurt!" Jaken stated and came closer to inspect.

"Do not bother. It's merely a scratch."

 _That definitely does not look like a scratch_ , Jaken thought with his gaze fixed on the injury.

"Jaken," he said, pulling the tiny toad out of his thoughts. "Get Ah-Un. We'll leave, now."

"Y-Yes, my lord!" Jaken exclaimed and hurried into the trees to fetch the two-headed dragon.

Rin stared at him sadly as her eyes landed on his arm. "But you look really hurt, Lord Sesshomaru," she said and reached her hands out. "Can Rin see it?"

He wanted to say that she was just worrying over nothing, but something about her facial expression made him gave in. With an inaudible sigh, he reluctantly lowered himself so that the little girl could get a good look on her arm.

Her fingers made sure they were gentle when they turn his arm slowly. She inspected every bruise that had formed onto the revealed flesh. She frowned and her face came closer to the skin just above his wrist. Golden eyes barely widened as she placed a light kiss on one of the bruises. He could feel his body tense at the gesture. If he wasn't _thee_ Sesshomaru, no doubt he would've flinched at the sudden action.

"There," Rin said happily as if nothing had happened. "Mother used to give Rin kisses if Rin had hurt herself. It usually becomes a lot better then."

Sesshomaru gave an almost unnoticable nod and pulled his arm back. He threw a sideway glance at the sound of the toad. He watched as Jaken came back with Ah-Un behind him.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I've found Ah-Un!"

He turned around. "Let's go."

Ah-Un laid on the ground to allow Rin to get on top of him. It stood back up as Rin held onto its neck. Jaken only walked by the dragon's side, following his lord from behind nervously.

"Um... Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken questioned, wanting the demon lord's attention. As he got as much as a 'hn', he continued, "Who was that girl? What does she want from you, my lord?"

"It seems that she is only a puppet," Sesshomaru said, not planning to elaborate any further.

Jaken realised that his master wasn't in the mood for questions—not that he was ever in the mood to answer—so he simply didn't ask any more, much to the demon lord's silent relief.

But Jaken's questions only brought Sesshomaru's mind back to the child puppet. Like the toad had said, what _does_ she want from him? More importantly, who sent her? The way she had spoken had made it clear that she was only aiming for him. It also didn't look like the child was ordered to get anyone other than him, since the puppet had ignored both; Jaken and Rin's presence. That would mean the puppet had been given a specific order, and that was to attack him.

Sesshomaru mentally sighed, not being able to get any clues on who sent the puppet and what is the puppet master's true objective. Deciding to just change his current thoughts, his mind drifted back to what Rin had done.

Truthfully, his whole body ached; not that he paid any mind to the pain. He was sure that his whole body was covered in bruises, but he relied on his powers to heal them. His eyes then unintentionally looked down to where Rin had placed her lips. He was never going to admit it, but his arm _did_ feel slightly better after her kiss. And if it wasn't for the cold mask he usually wore, he would've allowed a small smile to tug at his face.

* * *

A girl with long, blonde hair shuffled across the dimmed-lit hallway. The sound of her footsteps were barely audible as she made her way at the end of the hall. Her knuckles reached the wooden door that stood in front of her, and she gave it a few knocks.

"Come in," she heard the voice that came from inside.

She pushed the doors open and found a man, dressed in a black haori and hakama, looking out of the giant glass window. His hands were behind his back, and his eyes kept staring outside as if something had caught his interest. She waited patiently near his desk, expecting his command before she was allowed to speak.

"Jikiko," he finally greeted and spun around. "I assume you have news about your task?"

"Yes, Lord Waru," she said, her voice whisper-like.

She watched as he moved over to the seat he often uses. He pulled the chair slightly before sitting on it. One of his hand ran through his auburn hair, that was tied into a high ponytail. He then casually brushed off the long ponytail that hung over his shoulders so that it would end up behind him. Finally, his crimson eyes met hers; an indication that he was ready to talk.

"Tell me what you've managed to get."

She nodded. "Lord Waru, by your orders, I have done a lot of research on which type of demons carry the strongest blood. It has been found out that a dog demon owns the most powerful blood coursing through their veins."

He nodded in acknowledgement, a gesture for her to continue.

"I have sent many of our men to search for these dog demons, and found out that there are only three left that bears the blood. Though, one of them only holds half of it."

"Half? I suspect he is a half-demon?"

"Yes, my lord," she said. "Two out of three of them are very well-known, while the half-demon is only famous at certain areas. All of them are related to each other."

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. He almost didn't catch the last few words since her voice was so soft, but he decided to just keep listening. It couldn't be helped that she was born with such a quiet voice. "Continue."

"I have sent my puppets to all three of them. The one sent to the half-demon took the longest to kill, and it was not even finished off by himself. One of his human companions helped him."

"Well, he is a half-demon, so it is to be expected," Waru said in a bored tone. "Though, how come a half-breed like him runs the blood of a dog demon?"

"He is the son of the Inu no Taisho," she said and noticed that her lord flinched slightly. "His name is Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha... The name seems familiar, but I can't seem to remember where I've heard it. Anyway, what about the others?"

"I sent the second to his half-brother, Sesshomaru. While the third to Sesshomaru's mother, Inukimi. Overall results, for Inuyasha, my puppet landed a hit on him; twice. For Sesshoumaru; once. For Inukimi; none."

The lord seemed unfazed. "None? Now that's to be expected since she _is_ mated to the Inu no Taisho."

She bobbed her head. "Sesshomaru and Inukimi are full-fledged demons and are way more powerful than Inuyasha."

"Hmm... then capturing them would be very complicated. Meanwhile, if we were to choose the half-demon, we might have to wait twice longer before we have enough blood for our goal—since we'll have to seperate his human and demon blood."

"But capturing Inuyasha would be easier," she commented.

"Hard decision," Waru muttered to himself thoughtfully. "Anyway, thank you for your report. You are dismissed."

Jikiko bowed before leaving the room.

Waru started thinking. It had been a year since they planned all of this, and now, things were finally in action. The last thing he needed was a powerful demon's blood, and everything would be complete. But the fact that he was only one step away from his goal makes him frustrated. He crossed his leg and unconsciously tapped over his desk.

It was either taking Inuyasha or Sesshomaru. Inukimi was out of the question. She was just too... overpowered; knowing that she also mated the Inu no Taisho. He sighed and thought about Sesshomaru first. He imagined the dog demon in battle. If Sesshoumaru had expected the puppet's attack, would the puppet even have the chance to touch him in the first place? According to Jikiko, he _is_ a full-fledged demon and a dog demon, so there is a high possibility that the answer would be no. With this thought, he realised that capturing Sesshomaru might be just as hard as trying to get his mother. But if he could get his hands on him, then things would surely roll faster.

Then there's Inuyasha. A half-breed—neither fully demon nor human. He probably has half of a full-demon's power, so it must be easier to get him. The problem was that things would take longer until he could finally reach his goal, and that irritates him. But it was probably faster than having to wait for Sesshomaru to be captured.

"I'll just go with the half-demon. He's not strong, so capturing him would be a breeze," he said to no one in particular.

"You're underestimating him."

Waru froze at the deep voice that held a tiny spark of evil playfulness. His eyes darted around the room, but no one else was in there but him. His brows furrowed and his hand reached for the sword at his hip. He had no idea how the unknown guest had ended up in the same room as him, but he would surely be punished for breaking in, and entering without permission.

Waru's eyes widened slightly as a man under a babboon cloak emerged from the ground. On impulse, he gripped the hilt of his sword. "Who are you?"

"My humblest apologies for entering without your consent," the man under the cloak said, and bowed respectfully. "I am Naraku. I have heard that you are planning to capture Inuyasha."

"Who are you and what is your relationship with the half-breed?" Waru said with his eyes narrowed.

A deep chuckle escaped Naraku's lips. "I am his sworn enemy, my lord," he used his arm to pull off the animal cloak, revealing the features of his face.

Crimson eyes met with another set of crimson. The atmosphere was tensed at first, but the tension slowly faded away as Waru relaxed.

"I see. So what are your intentions on coming here, Naraku?" Waru asked and released his sword's hilt.

"As you've heard, I have mentioned that you are underestimating Inuyasha. That half-demon is stronger than he makes you believe," Naraku explained, his lips curled into a smirk. "And with his human companions, things will be very difficult indeed."

"And what are you trying to suggest?" Waru asked, raising a brow.

"I merely wish to offer you my help, my lord," Naraku said and bowed his head. "After battling with the half-demon several times, I found out that there are a few ways on how to set a trap for him."

"If you've battled him many times, and know how to capture him, how come he is still alive?" Waru asked, hinting suspiscion.

He examined the black-haired demon in front of him with his eyes narrowed. Even though he doubted Naraku's strength, but something about the demon's aura said that he is much stronger than he thinks. His aura... it was dark and malicious. There was something unsettling about him. But he couldn't be _that_ strong, could he?

Then the demon's previous words appeared in his head. _You are underestimating him_. His eyes once again took a glimpse of the demon. Maybe he was underestimating this demon too?

Naraku grinned deviously. "Firstly, Inuyasha is not dead yet because it is for the sake of my own amusement. Secondly, I mean no offense, but just like you, I have underestimated him... many times."

"And?"

"Now that I know your scheme, I would like to take part in it as I find it very interesting," Naraku continued.

"And what do you ask in return if I let you offer your assistance?"

"None, my lord. I merely wish to see the half-demon suffer," Naraku snickered.

"Hn," Waru's lips stretched into a menacing grin. "If we come to an agreement, then we will both get what we want."

"Exactly, my lord."

Not trusting someone you've just met had always been rule number one. But for this once, Waru would gladly take the risk. His instincts were telling him to accept Naraku's offer, and that Naraku wasn't going to interfere with his plans. Besides, it seemed that the black-haired demon just wanted to see the half-demon in misery, which was something he could give—and didn't care about. So, it was settled.

"Very well. I would like to borrow some of your knowledge about the half-demon, and in return, you will see him suffer."

Naraku gave a nod, his face beyond pleased.

"Then, let's discuss on what you have in mind in capturing Inuyasha..."

* * *

 **You guys had no idea how many times I've edited this chapter. At first, I thought it was too early for Sesshoumaru's appearance, but then I was like "screw it, I'm putting Sesshoumaru" and done, he's now in chapter two. I'm not really sure with Rin's actions since I've never seen her touch him, but hey, imagine it as an act on impulse since she sees Sesshoumaru hurt and the first thing she wants to do is help him. Also, gotta add a bit of fluff, right?**

 **I had finished writing this chapter for a while, but I had been editing it non-stop. I want to make sure that everyone is in character and it seems that I keep missing out some things. Well, hope everything pays off.**

 **Thank you for those who left a review. I don't know how to reply on the Fanfiction app since I've recently started using it. Even if I may not be able to reply, but that doesn't mean I don't read the reviews. Again, thank you for the reviews. It boosts my motivation to a whole new level.**


	3. The Blonde Girl

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** I have decided to randomly update. It's because I'm still working on with another story (at a different site), so I can't determine a solid update date for Bloodshed. I thought at first that maybe I should update this story every month, but the ideas kept coming and I'm excited with this story—so I think I might end up updating this weekly. If I suddenly stop updating at one point, go to my profile and check if I have news about the updates. I'll keep you guys informed if I can't update._

 _I will be replying to the reviews at the end of the chapter because I still don't know how to reply and I feel bad if I don't. Well, hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 _ **The Blonde Girl**_

* * *

"Inuyasha."

His eyes kept staring ahead, unfocused.

"Inuyasha."

His mind was pulled back into reality. "Huh? What?"

He finally looked up to seeing Kagome standing in front of him, her eyes above his face. A faint smile crept over her lips as she knelt on the floor. He watched in silence as she leaned forward and felt his forehead. He had to hold back from flinching as her cool hand was over his warm skin.

"Good, no fever," she said and stood back up.

His brows furrowed in confusion. Suddenly, his eyes darted around the area as he wondered where he was. He spent a few minutes taking in the surroundings. The large—almost empty room, lit a bright orange as the light from the fire illuminated the place. The whole room was covered in wooden walls and flooring. He could see everyone else, except for Kagome, sleeping soundly on the floor. He felt a throb at the back of his mind as he couldn't remember what had happened earlier. He started panicking for a brief moment, unable to recollect earlier events, but then it clicked.

He could finally remember that Miroku had asked a villager for a place to stay. The villager led them to this empty hut that he owns. Later that afternoon, he felt tired and had a quick nap while the sun was still up. Then what happened? Oh, right. When everyone went to sleep, he was awake and decided to keep watch in case the puppet appears again. Somehow, he ended up daydreaming to the extent of not noticing that Kagome had awakened. He shook his head in disbelief. He was never letting his guard down ever again.

"Inuyasha."

He glanced and found that she was already unrolling the futon that the hut owner had offered. He raised a brow, questioning what she wanted him to do.

"You should get some rest," she said and patted on the futon. "I know you've slept earlier, but I need you to get a good night's rest too."

He shook his head. "Nope. That creepy kid might appear again."

"Then I'll take over," she insisted.

"Go back to sleep, Kagome," he muttered.

He then felt his arm being pulled. He turned his head to the side and observed as Kagome was using a fraction of her strength to get him over to that futon. He sighed and used his free hand to scratch his head in annoyance.

"Alright, fine," he finally said. He yanked his arm away from her grip, grabbed the Tessaiga, and started walking to the futon. He could feel her eyes on him from the back of his skull. "Damn it, Kagome. I'm sleeping, alright?"

He awkwardly leaned back and laid down on the cotton fabric, placing Tessaiga on the ground at his side. Her face appeared in his line of vision, a pleasing expression on it. He frowned when she knelt beside him, and felt her hands rubbing gently at his ears.

"Good boy," she said with a chuckle.

"Shut up," he mumbled.

Kagome stared as his eyelids slowly closed. She kept rubbing his ears, admiring the soft thing before she heard the sound of his slow breathing. Her eyes landed on his face. He was sleeping so soundly. This was the second time he looked so calm—the first time was when he had slept on her bed. A smile made its way again on her face. Seeing the hanyou sleeping like this... she wished this would last for a while.

Her eyes landed on Inuyasha's arms, and she hesitated to check it, not wanting to wake him up. But then, she mustered the courage and slowly pulled the sleeve of his suikan. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips as the bruises were gone. There were a few red patches left, which meant that some still haven't fully healed. She was surprised that he healed quite fast, but that was because she knew he was eager to get rid of all his wounds. This also meant that Inuyasha had used quite a lot of energy to focus on his healing, which would be bad if he refused to sleep.

She touched the fuzzy appendages once more before heading over to her bow. Honestly, she had forgotten about the puppet for a while, until Inuyasha reminded her. Her fingers touched the bow mindlessly. She was sure that she had slept only for a few hours, and still felt sleepy, but she wasn't going to sleep, now that she had promised Inuyasha.

A yawn escaped her mouth and she shook her head as drowsiness was starting to take over. The silent night wasn't helping with her plan on staying awake. She gripped the wooden part of the bow, forcing herself not to sleep. She was _not_ going to sleep. But even if she kept chanting the words in her mind, her eyelids wouldn't stop attempting to close—

"Kagome-chan!"

And that was what made her eyes flew open.

She instantly got up, the bow still in her hand. Her mind was fully alert now, and all sense of going to sleep was gone. In front of her, she could see Sango had her Hiraikotsu behind her back, Miroku was preparing his Wind Tunnel, Shippou behind the monk, and Kirara had transformed into her huge cat form. How long had she fallen asleep? What happened?

"S-Sango-chan? What's going on?"

"Youkai," the taijiya said, peeping through the noren. "Lots of them."

"Huh? Youkai...?"

And that was when she started hearing the cries of the villagers. How could she have not heard them before? She cursed under her breath as she accepted the fact that she had fallen asleep. So much for trying to keep watch. If only she had pushed herself, she wouldn't have dozed off.

"I'm so sorry," she said, causing Sango and Miroku to look her way. "I should've been on guard."

"You don't have to apologize, Kagome-sama. You're allowed to have some rest too," Miroku stated, puzzled.

"Yes, but..." she felt so guilty. If something had happened... "What if the puppet had teleported here to attack Inuyasha again? He was keeping himself awake just now because of that. So I... I asked him to sleep and said that I'll keep watch in case the girl appears again."

"It's okay, Kagome-chan. We're all exhausted, especially since we've never got a chance to take a break before," Sango said and held her Hiraikotsu. "Besides, nothing happened while we were asleep," she gave a challenging grin. "So, are you ready now?"

Kagome nodded, ready with her bow and arrow. As she was about to head out, only then she remembered about Inuyasha.

"Wait! Where's Inu—" she turned her head and found Inuyasha still lying with his eyes closed. "Inuyasha? Oh god, is he—"

"He's fine, Kagome," Shippou's voice interrupted her. She looked down to the tiny kitsune. "He's just really tired. He won't open his eyes or move."

"Wow, it's the first time he's like this. I've never seen him sleep like the dead before... I don't know if I should be worried or not."

Before Sango could respond to Kagome's sentence, she heard a cry coming from a woman and immediately looked at the commotion outside. "I'm going to help that woman!" she exclaimed before running out of the hut, Kirara following behind her.

"Sango-chan—" she wanted to join the taijiya, but Miroku held her arm. "Miroku-sama?"

"Kagome-sama, you must stay here with Shippou. Someone needs to watch over Inuyasha. I'm afraid that he's truly unconscious and isn't aware about a thing. It will be dangerous if we leave him alone."

Kagome nodded. "Right."

Miroku smiled before joining Sango outside. Kagome sat on the floor, both of her hands holding the bow and the arrow. She was going to keep her guard this time in case a demon ends up entering. But she couldn't help but feel worried for her friends.

"Kagome, don't worry," Shippou said and hopped onto her shoulder. "Miroku and Sango can handle it."

"Mm," she hummed with a nod. "I have faith in them."

All of a sudden, she heard the sound of a shrill cry and before she knew it, an injured demon had violently pushed the noren aside, entering the hut. Thankfully, its size was no bigger than an average human and that was something she could handle. She immediately stood up and pulled her arrow back, aiming directly to the demon. The demon noticed her intentions and wanted to run away, but she had released the arrow and it dispersed in the air.

She approached near the entry way and pushed the noren aside, wanting to see what was going on outside. Sango and Miroku were nowhere to be seen, but she guessed that they already had things under control, since there were no signs of villagers or demons. She exhaled in relief and pulled back from the entry way.

"It seems that Miroku-sama and Sango-chan is—" she froze at the sight behind her.

Shippou was trembling in a blonde girl's arms.

Kagome took a step back in shock as she took in the features of the little girl. The girl could be labelled as a child, her height not even reaching Kagome's shoulders. The blonde girl had knee-length hair. Her eyes were a pale shade of blue and her face was almost emotionless. Overall, she was beautiful, but Kagome could tell instantly that she was dangerous even though she was merely holding the little fox demon.

Her gaze flicked to the blonde girl's side and her eyes widened as she saw Inuyasha's figure over a man's shoulder. The man was wearing a silver armor, resembling a knight. His face was covered with his helmet and he was quite tall and large in size—almost double the size of the hanyou himself. But that wasn't her concern. What concerns her the most at the moment was what the blonde was planning to do.

"Let go of Inuyasha and Shippou-chan!" she shouted, her arrow aimed at the two of them.

"Shippou...?" the blonde said quietly and her eyes stared down at the still shivering kit, "...cute..."

It took the blonde a few minutes of staring before she bent down and gently placed the terrified kitsune on the ground. Without second thought, Shippou ran over to Kagome and clung at her leg, shaking non-stop. Kagome was relief that she released the fox, but her eyes were still trained on the girl.

"Let go of Inuyasha."

The girl looked at her with blank eyes, glanced at the knight, and looked at her again.

"Waru-sama needs him."

"Waru-sama?" Kagome questioned and her grip tightened on her arrow. "Is that the name of your master? Is that the name of the one who created you and the puppet that attacked Inuyasha?"

"No..." she whispered. "I am the creator of those puppets."

"W-What?"

Kagome examined the girl from head to toe. From the looks of it, she almost looked human. _Almost_. But she's definitely not human, is alive, and not puppet material. She glanced at the knight. She wasn't sure whether he was a puppet or not, but she made a wild guess and assumed that he was a puppet. She then boldly took a step forward, her arrow never turned away from her target.

"Anyway, I'm not going to repeat myself," Kagome said. "Release Inuyasha."

The blonde girl slowly pointed an index finger to Kagome. "Kouru."

"I won't let you—" she froze when she couldn't move a muscle. "Huh?"

She heard Shippou freak out, then the kitsune stumbled backwards, head hitting the floor and desperately trying to keep her distance from her. When her brown irises—the only thing she could move—looked down, she saw a tiny girl (with the same height as Shippou) holding—more like hugging—her leg.

"What the—I can't move!" Kagome shouted—her mouth being the second thing that could also move. _Is it because of the girl?_ "Shippou-chan! Get the girl off me!"

"R-Right!"

She heard the kitsune grunt as he tried his best to get the tiny girl off her. But no matter what he does, the girl remained still on her leg.

"Kagome, I can't! She's—strong!"

The blonde girl looked at the knight. "Kishi, let's go."

The blonde girl, and the knight named Kishi, motioned to pass Kagome. Kagome couldn't bear the feeling that she could only watch as Inuyasha was taken away right in front of her eyes. She struggled more, before giving up and decided to use another way.

"Inuyasha!" she shouted. "Inuyasha, _wake up_!"

It was no use. No matter how loud she yelled, the hanyou wouldn't wake up. She knew that he must be unconscious out of exhaustion, but right now, she really needed him to be awake and realize the situation he was in.

She considered of using the command. _Osuwari_ —that was the only thing that could help move the hanyou. It would also crush the knight. But then, she thought about the outcome. What if Inuyasha won't wake up even if she uses the command, and ends up being unconscious longer? Or if it does crush the knight, what was she going to do if Inuyasha still isn't awake? She groaned internally as she realized the command would be no help at all, unless she was willing to take a huge risk and hoped that Inuyasha would wake up.

She wanted to scream at the lack of options. She would do anything right now to get the knight's hands off the hanyou, not knowing what the two of them were planning to do. Heck, she would even wrestle the little girl if she had to. If she could move right now, she would be clenching and unclenching her fists in frustration. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened when the kitsune stopped pulling the tiny girl named Kouru, and ran over to the blonde instead. She heard the kitsune cry in a warrior-like way before she suspected that he bit the girl.

* * *

Shippou bared his teeth at the blonde girl's leg, trying to get his teeth to sink further into her flesh. He could feel her blood in his mouth, but had no plans on letting the blonde go.

Shippou grew pale when he felt himself being picked up by the back of his neck. It took little effort for the blonde to get him off her. Blood trickled from where he had bitten, but the girl's face remained neutral. She raised the whimpering kitsune that hung in her hands, her eyes expressing nothing. Shippou shivered as her free hand moved over his head. He shut his eyes tightly, expecting a hard smack.

* * *

Kagome panicked when she heard Shippou's whimpering. "No! Shippou-chan! Please, don't—"

"Poor child," she heard the blonde whispered.

Kagome couldn't tell what happened behind her, but she was slightly relief when she didn't hear Shippou screaming or anything that indicated he was in pain. That would mean that the girl hadn't hurt Shippou yet.

Meanwhile, Shippou slowly opened his eyes when he felt the girl stroking his hair gently. He looked at the girl's face, her expression soft. After his fear was gone, he could now hear the faint humming coming from her.

"Um..." Shippou tried to speak.

"Kouru."

The tiny girl that held Kagome's leg released her grip, before fading away until she can no longer be seen. Kagome jerked forward as she could finally move. She turned around and found the blonde girl playing with Shippou's hair. The kitsune looked like he had calmed down a bit too.

The blonde girl bent down and released Shippou from her hold. Uncertainly, the kitsune shuffled towards Kagome. Kagome smiled at the fact that Shippou was safe, but she was still worried about Inuyasha.

She tried to plead again. "Um, about Inuyasha..."

"Kishi," the blonde girl called.

"Yes, Jikiko-sama?" came the monotone voice from the knight.

"Release the hanyou."

The knight instantly complied and walked nearer to Kagome. Kagome was about to ask what he was doing, before the knight passed Inuyasha to her as if he was some kind of item. Kagome had to plant her legs on the ground to stop herself from toppling with the hanyou on her. Inuyasha may not be as heavy as she thought, but he still had some weight on him. She held firmly on his shoulders to avoid him from falling, her face poking at the side to face the blonde.

"Um... thank you," Kagome said.

The girl, she found out called Jikiko, stared and turned away. Before she left, she stopped and turned to look over her shoulder, gazing directly at Kagome.

"Waru-sama won't be pleased..." she said quietly with a pause, averting her gaze. "He might ask me to get the hanyou again."

And with that, the blonde girl and her knight was gone.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Noren are those cloth things that hung at the doorway, to those who are wondering. Also, I changed my username because my sister found out about my acc (which I wish she hadn't, sigh)._

 _By the way, let me explain some of the translations of the names here. So Jikiko is just a combination of "Jiki"/磁器 (porcelain) and "Ko"/子 (child). "Kishi"/騎士 is "knight". And "Kouru"/凍る is "to freeze". Forgive me if I'm wrong. Japanese speakers, don't hesitate to correct me!_

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **TheKamigawa:** I literally laughed at your review at the part where you imagined the puppet going 180-degrees. Now I can't stop imagining it when I read chapter two lol. I'm also glad that you like the original characters here and enjoying the story. Thank you for both of your reviews!

 **veetree03:** Thanks and I'm glad that you find this story interesting! Hopefully I can finish it fast like you say, cause I wanna write other stories too haha.

 **Guest:** Yep, the story isn't finish yet and I just started it. But don't worry, I promise I'll finish it because I don't like leaving my stories hanging.


	4. A Different Way

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 _ **A Different Way**_

* * *

Inuyasha let out a wide yawn as he stretched his arms above his head. His eyelids fluttered open and he had to admit, he had a good night's sleep. There wasn't a single noise and any disturbance last night, so he had enough time to recover all the energy he'd lost while trying to heal. He reminded himself to thank Kagome for keeping guard. Now that he had gotten his rest, he wouldn't mind if she wanted to sleep next.

Speaking of Kagome, his head spun around to the empty hut he was in. Where is everybody? He slowly got up and picked up the lying Tessaiga. He assumed that everyone woke up just before him.

As he headed to the doorway and pushed aside the noren, coincidentally, Kagome was just about to enter, her face right in front of him. Her eyes widened before she pulled him into a sudden embrace. He stood still for a few seconds, his brows furrowed, not knowing what in the world happened while he was asleep. Maybe her sleep deprivation had gotten the best of her?

"Um, Kagome—"

"Inuyasha, I was so worried!"

His ears drooped slightly and he pulled away to look at her. "Whaddaya mean?"

Then, his face rose as he caught movement, and found the rest of his group approaching him.

"Inuyasha, we heard what happened," Miroku said.

"Thank goodness you're alright. It seems you were at their mercy," Sango added.

"Okay, stop," Inuyasha finally said and took a step back. He breathed in, and out, trying to understand what they were saying. "What the hell happened while I was asleep?"

* * *

Kagome had just finished explaining to Inuyasha, from the part where she had fallen asleep, to the part where he almost got himself kidnapped. His jaw was dropped and his eyes were widened in disbelief. There was no way he didn't notice a single thing, right? But no matter how hard he tried to recall whether or not he heard at least a sound, he just had no memory of it. Thinking about what Kagome had explained to him... it was scary now that he thought about it. Almost all of the time he had kept his guard, and last night when he didn't, he had almost gotten himself taken away while sleeping.

"I am never sleeping comfortably again," Inuyasha said, his hand holding Tessaiga's scabbard. "Also, why didn't you just run? She could've hurt you, Kagome!"

"And _leave_ you?! Inuyasha, _you_ were the most defenseless yesterday! And not to mention, it seemed that she was only aiming for _you_. If she had taken you, who knew what would've happened!"

Inuyasha blinked before turning away. "Keh! I'm sure I'll be able to escape when I wake up."

But Kagome was right. He _was_ the most defenseless yesterday. He let his guard down so much, to the point of becoming totally unconscious, that he didn't notice a thing yesterday. Still, she shouldn't have risked herself that night, or should've at least call Miroku or Sango for help. Kagome's safety was one thing. The other thing that was bothering him was that he needed to be protected, which wasn't necessary. He could protect himself... at least until last night.

"Look," Kagome said and exhaled deeply. "Inuyasha, it was my fault. I know this happened while we're not sleeping, but I should've stayed awake, but instead, I fell asleep."

"Don't you dare apologize, wench," Inuyasha snapped, but then his facial expression changed into something more remorseful. "If anyone should be apologizin', it should be me. I made you stay up when you should be sleeping, so..." he looked away and a frown appeared on his face. "I... I'm..."

Kagome smiled, but internally, she was surprised at the hanyou's behavior. "It's alright, Inuyasha. You shouldn't apologize either. You were hurt yesterday, and you must've quickened your healing."

Inuyasha averted her gaze, a faint blush visible on his face. "Keh!"

She smiled and had to hold back a laugh when she faced her friends and they were all wide-eye. All of them couldn't believe that the hanyou _almost_ , but close enough, to apologizing.

Miroku finally recovered from his loss of words and cleared his throat. "But Kagome-sama, don't you think it's weird that the enemy left him like that?"

"It is," Kagome nodded. "But she said she would be coming back... so maybe she let him off this time because she knows she would be getting him back?"

The most confusing part was that Jikiko, that little girl, doesn't seem to be harmful that night. At first glance, Kagome thought that she would be as violent as her puppets, but after seeing the way she soothed Shippou, it doesn't look like it. She also left just like that, even when she had gotten what she wanted. It wasn't as if the little girl had no choice or anything... she left on her own will. Maybe she sensed something? Or maybe she was ordered to leave Inuyasha? But that wouldn't make sense. Why come all the way here, leave, and letting them know that someone is targeting the hanyou?

Also, why would Jikiko tell her that she would be coming back? The way she spoke... it wasn't as if she wanted to scare her. It was more like warning her. Kagome thought hard. _Someone_ must be ordering the girl around. But when the child let go of Inuyasha, it seemed out of her own will, not by orders.

Kagome had just remembered. Jikiko mentioned that a guy named Waru needed Inuyasha. That may have solved who wanted Inuyasha. But the question now is, _who_ is this Waru? And _what_ does he want with him?

* * *

Waru chuckled as he listened to Naraku's times while fighting Inuyasha. The black-haired demon had proven himself worthy a while ago during their conversations. Not only does Naraku know who is accompanying Inuyasha, but he could warn him beforehand on what they are. So it seemed Inuyasha's group consist of a taijiya slayer, a monk, a reincarnated miko, a nekomata, and a kitsune. This was going to run smoothly. Without Naraku's assistance, he was sure he would be dealing with trouble having to get rid of all of them.

Naraku also told him their weaknesses. So the taijiya had a little brother who died and is being manipulated by Naraku himself, the monk had a Wind Tunnel that could easily be countered with poison insects, the miko wasn't as strong as her first incarnation, and the hanyou had different sorts of weakness depending on the situation.

But this information might be useless, as he had sent _Jikiko_ over to Inuyasha during the time when Naraku's horde of demons were attacking the village. Jikiko was powerful, and a small task as getting the hanyou wouldn't be a problem to her. He was also informed that the hanyou had gotten himself hurt by Jikiko's puppet, so that would make things _way_ easier for the puppeteer. All he had to do was wait for the good news and—

He heard a knock. Speak of the devil. He granted permission for the person to come in. To his surprise, it wasn't Jikiko, it was one of the servants. She was trembling and she lowered herself to whisper to him.

"What?!" Waru practically shouted.

"Y-Yes, my lord. That's what happened."

"Is something the matter?" Naraku asked.

Waru let out an annoyed huff and rubbed his temple. "Jikiko failed her task. I am going to speak to her immediately. Would you like to stay here or follow me?"

"Since I have nothing to do, my lord, I will accompany you," Naraku answered with a hidden smirk.

Waru and Naraku exited the meeting room. Naraku followed behind the demon lord, his thoughts running wild in his head. He must've overestimated that puppet master. He was actually convinced that the girl was strong and would be dragging Inuyasha here by now, but it looked like he was wrong. The puppeteer proved to be a disappointment.

They crossed the narrow hallway and Waru stopped in front of a door, which Naraku guessed to be Jikiko's room. Without the little girl's consent, Waru barged in, his hand swinging the door opened with full-force. He marched in and found the blonde girl sitting on a chair, her back facing him.

"Jikiko, what happened?" Waru asked, his eyes narrowing. "You are very much capable of your task, so how were you able to fail?"

"I let him go..." she whispered, still not facing him. "The girl... was sad."

"Girl?" Waru questioned out loud.

It was either the taijiya or the miko. But judging by the taijiya's personality, it would be very unlikely to be her. So it must be the miko, since Naraku mentioned that she had feelings for that half-breed.

"I am disappointed, Jikiko," Waru said, his voice holding more of an angry tone. He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I expected more from you. Have you forgotten our plan? You will receive your punishment for defying my—"

Waru took a step back on impulse as the temperature of the room dropped several degrees, and the hair at the back of his neck stood. He subconsciously shivered as a chill ran down his spine, his instincts were screaming at him, telling him to back away _immediately_. This aura... It was a miracle that his legs haven't gave out yet. He had felt this once before, long ago, and he didn't expect to feel it again.

This was going to be troublesome. It had been a while since Jikiko disobeyed his orders, and if she does, it means she was starting to feel those pathetic emotions to those humans and that half-breed. He thought sending Jikiko over would save loads of trouble, but instead, he found out they were causing him new problems.

After gathering the last pieces of his courage, he slowly looked up, and as he expected, Jikiko's usual blue eyes were replaced with black empty voids. She was looking over her shoulder, turning her head a hundred and eighty degrees to look at him. Her usual subtle aura, was now gone. Instead, a dark and life-threatening aura was seeping out of her, an indication for him to leave, or _else_...

She slowly turned her head back, allowing him to face the back of her skull once more. He swallowed a lump in his throat before turning around and heading towards the door.

"I will be taking my leave then," he said before closing the door behind him.

Before the door was fully closed, he didn't miss Jikiko's monotone voice.

" ** _Good_**."

* * *

Waru and Naraku walked towards the dining area at Waru's insistence. The auburn-haired demon may have not notice, but Naraku had been eyeing on him after they left Jikiko's room.

Naraku couldn't believe that the oh-so-confident demon lord had been reduced to this quiet state. But then again, anyone would become like this if they were faced too close with _that_ kind of aura. Even Naraku was caught off guard by the sudden powerful aura released by that child. He won't admit it, but he could still feel the goosebumps on his skin.

No, he had underestimated this time. After that burst of aura, that puppet-controlling child was no ordinary kid. That kid was hiding a far more dangerous thing inside of her. Whether Waru knows what was hiding or not, he was just going to keep his mouth shut and see how this goes. One thing for sure was that, just like his incarnations, like Kagura, Waru's follower—assistant or whatever—isn't completely loyal to him.

"Forgive me for this uncomfortable silence," Waru finally spoke after what it seemed a long time. "I have yet to tell you about Jikiko."

Naraku grinned inwardly. He was getting information without him asking. He didn't want to question it, but that doesn't mean he wasn't curious about that child.

"Rest assured, my lord. I was also unaware of the sudden aura bursting out of her."

Waru gave a faint smile as an appreciation for Naraku's understandment. He cleared his throat, "Jikiko... is unual. She has three different personalities as far as I'm concerned. One, is the quiet submissive type. Two, is _that_ , which I have no idea what it actually is, all I know is that it is dangerous. Three, is another personality she had yet to show you. It's more like a normal person, if you ask me."

"Interesting," Naraku said and couldn't hide his devious grin, which he instantly changed into a frown before Waru caught sight of it. "But she doesn't look like she obeys _all_ of your orders, my lord?"

"That is correct," Waru said. "Only the submissive personality obeys my orders. The other two... _hardly_."

Naraku chuckled lowly at the demon lord's frustration. He had no regrets forming an alliance with this youkai. Things were surely going to be entertaining, seeing that there were mysteries that lies ahead. He still haven't found out why Waru needed that half-breed's blood, but he was going to find out sooner or later. He just had to be patient with his own plan—that will get into action itself—and was going to give him _so_ many benefits.

"So what do you wish to do, now that the girl failed to capture the hanyou?" Naraku asked, breaking the silence.

"It seems the information you provide me isn't going to waste, Naraku," Waru said as they both reached the dining area. Waru sat down on one of the many chairs that surrounds the rectangular table. "I will be able to use my alternative plan. Though, the process will take longer than the first one, but I guarantee that it'll work."

A young female servant approached them and bowed respectfully. She then moved closer to Waru, waiting for his command.

"Call Himitsu, I need to have a word with her."

The servant nodded. "Hai, Waru-sama."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Himitsu?"

"She is a youkai capable of sorcery," Waru explained briefly. "She's powerful... and _more_ reliable."

Soon, a figure covered in a maroon cloak hovered to the two demons. She was floating slightly above the floor, her feet untouching. From under the cloak, not a single feature was revealed as shadows concealed her face.

As soon as she stopped moving, her legs finally made contact with the ground with a faint thud. She bent down, bowing, before straightening her back and clearing her throat. For some reason, Naraku could almost feel her smile from where he was sitting.

"You have summoned me, my lord?" she asked, her voice sweet and melodious. Though, there was hidden malice.

"Yes," Waru said. "It's time I use you."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry if this chapter doesn't have much stuff going on. Don't worry, next chapter will have some action, hehe._

 _The translation for "Himitsu"/秘密 is "secret/secrecy"._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **kookiencreme:** Thank you!

 **meladi1:** I'm glad that my story is able to make you rewatch Inuyasha! To answer your question, Sesshoumaru also plays a big part in this story. It may look like Waru has given up on Sesshoumaru, _but_... you'll have to see about that in the next chapter to find out.


	5. Six Versus One

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

 _ **Six Versus One**_

* * *

"Why in the world do _we_ have to fight the most strongest youkai in the Japan?"

"Silence. It is Waru-sama's orders. Do you _want_ to defy him?"

"No. But you know it's going to be a waste of time. I heard stories about the Inu no Taisho's eldest son, and from what I heard, he could easily wipe out enemies in a single strike."

A group of six demons, who were currently in their human form, were walking through the forest. They were wearing armor and had swords at their hips. Earlier, they were shocked when they received an order to attack the well-known Lord of the West. Nonetheless, they obeyed even though their chances of winning against the demon lord are close to none. They weren't sure why _they_ were sent and what Waru-sama was thinking, but no one dared to question his intentions.

"I wonder why Waru-sama didn't send Mouretsu. I bet he can win against that demon lord," Ryokuu, a young member of the group, mumbled.

"Mouretsu? Who's that?" Seichi, another member, asked.

"Seichi, you don't know? Mouretsu-sama is one of the youkai in charge of the castle. Though, I've never seen him leave his chambers before," Kirochi, the eldest among them, answered.

"Nope, never heard of him."

"From what I heard, long time ago, Mouretsu-sama was one of the strongest youkai to ever exist. But then, somehow, they managed to put a seal on him and he was under a spell to sleep for eternity."

"So... has the seal been broken?"

"I don't think so. Heard that his seal was the hardest to break since his power was terrifyingly strong," Ryokuu commented and shrugged. "Himitsu-sama and Jikiko-sama were also in the same state as Mouretsu when Waru-sama found them. Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, Waru-sama was the one that broke both of their seals."

"How do you know all this?" Seichi questioned.

"Word has been passed down to me," Ryokuu said with a playful smile.

"So they're just rumors," Seichi huffed. "We don't know what's real, and what's not."

"Pfft, why do you guys even care? That guy—Mouretsu whatever—and the others are weird," Toroto, known with his teenage attitude, said in a bored tone. "Besides, like you said, we don't know if it's true. Rumors are just rumors."

"By others, you mean Jikiko-sama and Himitsu-sama?" Kirochi asked with an eyebrow raised, ignoring Toroto's uninterest in these 'rumors'.

"Yeah, _them_ ," Toroto said with his arms behind his head and his chin tilted slightly upwards. "I heard the same thing... the rumors that all of them were sealed for _years_ , and Waru-sama was the one who released them all, or at least released Jikiko-sama and Himitsu-sama. I'm not sure about Mouretsu, though. Pretty sure that guy is either dead, or his seal is still on him. The only thing I know is that... they had been going around with no activity last year, but now, dunno what they had been doing, but it's starting."

Kirochi stopped walking. "What's starting?"

Toroto looked at the corner of his eye. "Their plan."

The other two who haven't been talking, which are the twins, Rima and Mari, exhanged a look between each other. They had been listening to the other's conversation and were now wondering what their lord was planning. The only thing they were given were orders, and not the reason behind it. They _had_ heard that Waru-sama was working on a plan, but that's all they knew. Something about it told them that their lord was hiding something.

All six of them immediately bent down, hiding themselves under the bushes when someone had made a signal that Sesshoumaru, their target, was nearby. Their hearts started pounding loudly in their chests when the shockingly demonic aura could be felt by them. It was strong, _really_ strong. Honestly, none of them should be sent to fight him. One feeling at the demonic aura, and they all knew that they were going to lose.

"We shouldn't be here," Ryokuu whispered, his voice filled with fear. "He's _way_ out of our league. What was Waru-sama thinking?!"

"I agree. He should've sent someone stronger. We're just ants compared to him," Seichi said with a slight nod.

"I don't understand," Kirochi said and dug his nails in the dirt. "Are we sent here to die?"

"Reveal yourself."

All six of them were frozen at the cold and hard voice. Their eyes were widened, and their bodies won't move even when their instincts were kicking—telling them to run away. This wasn't the plan at all. They were suppose to do something like an ambush, where they attack the target unexpectedly, not allow the target to find _them_. With a count of three, all of them gave a nod at each other and stood up, meeting the deathly gaze by those two golden orbs.

They were shocked when they saw a little girl and a tiny toad accompanying Sesshoumaru. No, the toad doesn't interest them, it was only the girl. By the looks of it, she was human. They weren't sure whether Waru-sama knew or not, but they weren't informed about a human girl with Sesshoumaru.

The human girl looked at them with widened and blinking honey eyes, as if wondering what the heck they were doing, hiding themselves in the bushes like a bunch of cowards.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Explain your purpose here."

So much for an ambush, they had failed the very first thing they were suppose to do.

"We came here to fight you, Sesshoumaru," Kirochi said, shoving all his fear out of the window and displaying a brave image.

Sesshoumaru showed no hint of reaction to his sentence. Instead, he merely turned his face towards the little girl beside him, catching her attention.

"Rin, you will stay away with Jaken."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin said with a nod and looked at Jaken. "Let's go, Jaken-sama."

Jaken cast Sesshoumaru a worried look before obeying his master's orders. The toad grabbed Ah-Un and hurried to someplace a little further away with Rin, knowing that a battle was bound to happen. They weren't out of Sesshoumaru's sight, but far enough to avoid from getting involved in battle.

"Rima, Mari, you stay back first," Toroto said and cracked his knuckles, a smirk appeared on his mouth, having forgotten his earlier fear as excitement was coursing through his veins. "Let the guys handle this first."

The twins rolled their eyes and took a step back, allowing the _guys_ to handle it. Even though Toroto said that, but that doesn't mean they weren't involved. One way or another, they were going to fight the demon lord as well.

Kirochi, Ryokuu, Toroto and Seichi surrounded Sesshoumaru, their hands placed on the hilt of their swords. They noted that Sesshoumaru had _two_ , but it wasn't as if he was going to use both of them at once. Besides, it looked like he only had one arm, since one sleeve of his kimono was swaying against the wind as if nothing was holding it back. If their guess was correct, that would give them an advantage.

"Now!" Kirochi shouted and all of them charged at the demon lord at once.

A very, very, faint smile played on Sesshoumaru's lips (to those who knew him well, they would immediately know that the outcome would be bad) as he closed his eyes. While all four youkai charged at him, he barely swung his arm before a glowing green whip slashed at all four of them, throwing them to the solid ground at the same time.

The group were caught off guard at the whip attack, their cheeks stinging and... _poison_. They all groaned as pain shot from their face and body. They thought that outnumbering the demon lord, who by the way has only one arm, was an already big enough advantage, but it seemed that they weren't even close to being even. They shouldn't have underestimated the inu-daiyoukai, especially after feeling his demonic aura.

Toroto was the first to get on his feet again and charged at Sesshoumaru with his sword. He swung his sword at the demon lord, which was caught effortlessly by the magenta striped hand. Toroto tried to use force to get the sword to slice at the demon lord's head, or at least make his hand bleed for holding the edge of the blade, but none of it worked.

Sesshoumaru threw the weak youkai to the ground by swinging the opposite side of where the youkai held, forcing the youkai to release his own sword and flying to the ground.

 _Is he a brick wall or something?!_ Toroto thought as he wiped the blood that dripped from his mouth due to his face-first landing. His bottom an arm was aching, and it wasn't helping that his cheek still stung. Sesshoumaru was now fighting off with his other comrades... with _his_ sword, and not with the ones at his hip. How did it end up like this?

Kirochi, Seichi and Ryokuu attacked Sesshoumaru at the same time, swinging their swords and clashing with the demon lord's sword—which was actually their friend's. Even though it was three against one at the moment, but Sesshoumaru's swordplay was beyond good, and was blocking each of their attack.

"Oi, Toroto!" Kirochi shouted as his eyes were focused on Sesshoumaru. "Since you gave your own sword to this guy, how about you do it _now_?!"

"Right!"

Before Sesshoumaru could turn his head and know what _it_ meant, the three he was fighting leapt back in sync, and a barrier appeared around him. Sesshoumaru, with his face unfazed, touched the barrier wall and felt it. It wasn't a barrier that purifies his demonic energy.

It was a barrier that suppresses his demon power.

Toroto panted as he kept his focus on the barrier, his mind focused solely on the sphere thing. The other three ran over to him, joining him in maintaining the barrier.

"Okay, so how long are we able to keep this barrier running?" Ryokuu asked.

"About five minutes. That gives us enough time to finish him off. I can't believe after a week of training with Himitsu-sama, this is all we can manage even with three people working on it," Seichi said and let out a heavy breath. "Still, it's a miracle that he totally didn't expect that."

"Don't lower your guard," Kirochi said and drew his sword. "I'll finish him off. Make sure that the barrier's steady," he then looked at Mari and Rami. "You alright over there, you two?"

Mari was holding Jaken and Rin, while Rima made a barrier around Ah-Un, preventing the dragon from using its powers.

They didn't miss Sesshoumaru's eyes widening very slightly at the sight of Rin and Jaken. They figured that he must've cared about his followers. But it was hard to tell, since his face still remained close to being expressionless.

Kirochi walked closer to Sesshoumaru, his hand gripping tightly on the hilt of his sword.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, no!" Rin shouted and looked at the girl holding her. "Please don't! Please don't hurt Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Mari frowned. "I'm sorry. But we're following orders."

Kirochi reached the front of Sesshoumaru's barrier, facing the demon lord with a smug. Seeing that Sesshoumaru was powerless in there, it made him feel... powerful. All that fear he had earlier was for nothing, since the demon lord was the one that's going to end up dead, and not them. He shouldn't have believed those rumors that said the eldest of Inu no Taisho was strong.

He gazed at the trapped demon lord with mischief in his eyes, expecting for a promotion once he finishes him off.

"Prepare to die, Sesshoumaru—"

"Fool."

Sesshoumaru swung Tokijin, and immediately shattered the barrier _three_ people were maintaining. All of them stood there in shock, as blood splashed out, and Kirochi's detached head rolled on the ground, with his body dropping lifelessly after.

Sesshoumaru gave the other three a bored look before leaping towards them, not giving any of them time to react. A giant slash appeared on all three of their bodies, spluttering out blood before the trio, too, lied on the ground, their body unmoving.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to the twins, their faces horrified at seeing their comrades dead before their eyes. The one holding Ah-Un's barrier dissolved the barrier as she dropped to the ground, her face filled with fear and tears were pricking at the corner of her eyes. The other immediately released Rin and Jaken, allowing the two of them to rush to his side.

Rima, the one who had been holding Ah-Un's barrier, realized that it was no use getting out of this anymore. She embraced death, especially now that her friends were already dead. She couldn't say the same for her sister though, since her twin looked like she definitely doesn't want to die. But it wasn't as if they had a choice. They were going to get killed, which they should've expected from the start.

Sesshoumaru, unexpectedly, lowered Tokijin. He sheathed back his sword and stared at the twins, his eyes filled with anything but warmth.

"What is your purpose of being here?" he asked, his face turning into more of a scowl.

"W-We were ordered to defeat you and b-bring you back with us," Mari, who was crying now, dropped to her knees. "We were... we were just following orders..."

"Enough, Mari," Rima scolded. "You will not betray our master."

"But he sent us to die, Rima!" Mari shouted. "He _knew_ we weren't capable but he _still_ sent us! Some kind of master _he_ is!"

Rima became silent. Her sister was right. Waru-sama was aware that they were dealing with someone far more stronger and yet, he sent their group to deal with it. It was suicide, she knew. But a small part of her was still loyal towards her master. She wasn't sure what Waru-sama was planning, but she still had her faith in him.

"Silence," Sesshoumaru said as Mari's sobs begin to get louder. The girl immediately complied and reduced the sound of her sobbing. "You will explain to this Sesshoumaru on who had sent you and your master's plans."

Rima knew that Mari was desperate to keep her life. "Mari, you better not—"

"Our master's name is Waru," Mari answered the demon lord. "I... I'm not sure why we were sent here, but our actual mission is to take you back alive, we were only suppose to knock you out. I... I heard they wanted to use you for their plan..."

Sesshoumaru's scowl only deepened. "Who does 'they' refer to?"

"Um... W-Waru-sama is the leader of the group in charge of the c-castle. The other group members are... J-Jikiko-sama and H-Himitsu-sama."

"Elaborate."

Mari let out a shaky breath. "Himitsu-sama is the one that taught us how... how to make the barrier. I don't know about... about Jikiko-sama much, b-but... I heard that she controls puppets..."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. So Jikiko must be the one who sent that puppet child to attack him. It also seemed that Himitsu was someone capable of magic. He had never heard of someone named Waru and Jikiko, but the name Himitsu was surprisingly familiar. The problem was that he couldn't recall where he had heard it.

Rima watched her sister with her eyes widened slightly as if to say something, but continued to keep her mouth closed.

Sesshoumaru turned around, walking away from the two sisters. He had enough information already. "Rin, Jaken, let's go."

"W-Wait! Aren't you going to kill us?!" Rima yelled.

"I have no use of ending the life of lowly youkai," was his answer.

Rima and Mari observed as the little human girl hopped onto the two-headed dragon. The toad walked by Sesshoumaru's side, asking the demon lord something. After they were gone, Rima turned her head at the sound of a very low and dangerous chuckling.

"M-Mari?" Rima asked, a bit scared with her sister's odd behavior.

"Did that arrogant dog thinks he could get away after he has killed our friends?" Mari said, her voice holding back a laugh, but her tone filled with anger.

"What are you saying? Even if we _could_ avenge our friends, we won't stand a chance against that guy."

"No, _we_ won't be the ones defeating him."

Rima's brows furrowed. "Huh?"

"There's a reason why I didn't tell him everything. If what the others said was true, then it means we have to wait until Mouretsu awakens."

" _What_? But we don't even know if Waru-sama is ever going to send him to fight Sesshoumaru, _and_ we don't know if his seal is ever going to be broken. They said he has the strongest seal, remember?"

"Oh, despite what you think, I have a feeling that he _is_ going to be the one to defeat that arrogant dog. I may not know _when_ he's going to get into action, but I know he will... _soon_ ," Mari said and her laugh turned more maniac. "I figured it out."

Rima swallowed a lump in her throat, afraid to ask. "Figure...what?"

"Waru-sama is just waiting for the right time to release Mouretsu... and when he does..." Mari gave an eerie smile. "We won't have to worry about avenging our comrades anymore."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Yeah, it's finally done. This is probably the hardest chapter to work on because I had trouble trying to explain some things. I hope my writing during their battle was okay, because it looks better in my head compared to my writing lol._

 _Sorry if you spot any errors. I'll be editing this later. I just wanted to post this because I got tired of reading this over and over again (I swear I've read this document like ten times now), and I've decided that I had enough._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **veetree03:** Oh, it has been explained in chapter three why Inuyasha went totally unconscious. I'm sorry that the explaination wasn't clear enough, but it's because he uses his energy to heal himself faster, which drains his energy a lot.

 **meladi1:** Jikiko is quite the mystery, isn't she? Oh, and I can imagine you having a hard time trying to understand the love triangle in Inuyasha haha. I mean, if I had a hard time trying to understand it as a teen, I don't know what it's like for kids who watched it during that time. And wow, you're lucky you had Inuyasha as your childhood. Mine was Naruto, but after watching Inuyasha, I wish it was Inuyasha.

 **Jexss:** Hehe, thanks for reading!


	6. Promises

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 _ **Promises**_

* * *

Himitsu hovered around the castle, her footsteps inaudible as her feet never touched the flooring to begin with. Waru-sama had given her an order, and mentioned that she was the only person left that he could trust the job with. A faint smile appeared on her shadowed lips. If the job had been entrusted to her, it means Jikiko refused to follow orders, and if she refuses to do orders, nothing more could be done to make her accept it. Oh well, it wasn't as if she minded the job that she was going to do anyway. Besides, Waru-sama had made a promise to her.

 _He had just finished explaining what she had to do, and added, "In return, I'll give the hanyou to you once it's over."_

 _Her eyes widened, at the same time her heart speeding as excitement pumped into her veins. "Really? I can make him my toy?"_

 _"Yes... after I'm done with him, you may do whatever you please."_

 _Her smile widened, but then it disappeared and a frown took over. "But what if he's not that pretty? I hate unattractive toys," she stated. If it was true that the hanyou does not fill all her requirements, then she'll just have to forget about it._

 _Her master gave her a knowingly smirk, his hands interlocked with each other. "How about you see how he looks first, then you decide."_

She suppressed a squeal. The way Waru-sama spoke, this... _Inuyasha_ sounds cute. If he _is_ what she imagines, then with no doubt, she was going to make him her toy. She'll get to play with him, and test out her spells on him. No one would be willingly to offer themselves to her for her spells, but if he was her toy, then she would have someone to do all those things with.

"Oh, I can't wait to see this Inuya—" she stopped midway as the front doors were being pushed open, and the twins, who she recognised as Rima and Mari, entered, their bodies somewhat limping. She stared at them. Anyone would have found the gesture itself rude, but it wasn't as if they could see her eyes looking at them. "What happened to you two? You two look like someone had beaten the life out of you," but then she remembered, "Oh, you were sent to battle someone, right?"

"Himitsu-sama," Rima and Mari said at the same time and bowed. Rima continued, "We have done what we can. As a result, four of our comrades were slain by our target..."

"Well, that's to be expected," Himitsu said, unfazed. "I heard that your target is the great Lord of the West. It's a miracle that you two are still alive," she said teasingly although now was probably not a good time. "Were you two at his mercy?"

Mari pushed herself away from Rima, causing her twin to lose balance and almost collapse to the ground. She marched over to Himitsu, pointing a finger at the cloak figure as she glared daggers towards the shadowed face. "You have no idea what we've been through! Kirochi-san, Toroto-san, Seichi-kun, Ryokuu-kun... they all died because of him!"

Himitsu laughed, her voice genuinely light and cheerful. "Ah, and I care because...?"

Mari was about to launch herself to the sorcerer before her body froze, fear crawling against her skin. The female youkai blinked, her limbs refusing to move on her will. Beads of sweat started tracing down her forehead, and she questioned on what would cause her fear to trigger, until Himitsu's hooded-face appeared right in front of her.

" _I'm sorry for your lost, child_ ," Himitsu said, her voice _too_ sweet to sound earnest. A hand slipped out between the folds of the cloak, showing weird markings and symbols across her pale arm, and causing Mari to freak out at the sight. Her hand caressed Mari's cheek. "Don't worry, when the time is right, I'll make sure you get your revenge. I _promise_."

Mari nodded frantically, wanting the fear to stop immobolizing her. Himitsu chuckled and retreated her hand back inside the cloak, hiding the appendage back into the hidden darkness.

Mari could suddenly move again, and she dropped to the ground, bottom first. She looked up and found Himitsu floating pass her. Her eyes widened when, for a brief moment, she could see Himitsu's lips curled into a devious smile underneath that hood. Soon, the sorceress floated away, exiting the building without another word.

* * *

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome!"

" _Inuyasha_!"

" _Kagome_!"

" _Inuyasha_..."

Inuyasha swallowed a lump in his throat and instinctively took a step back, ears perking straight up and eyes widening. He knew too well what was going to happen when she used _that_ tone of voice.

The small audience who had been witnessing the scene for the past twenty minutes yawned when the arguing wasn't over yet. Days had passed and it was finally time for Kagome to return back for one of her 'tests'. They had been on each other throats and none of them had made the move to give in. Here, we have a hard-headed hanyou who claims that a 'test' is unimportant and suggests that they should continue to look for jewel shards—even if he was aware that someone was targeting him, and here, we have Higurashi Kagome who owns the same level of stubbornness and once in a while would like to pass her test.

They were surprised that Kagome hadn't use the sit command yet. Inuyasha may possibly be at her mercy because she was still shaken that he had almost been taken away, but now, they notice that her patience was thinning and soon, the hanyou might just face the dirt beneath him.

"Please, Inuyasha! Just five days! _Five_ days!" Kagome shouted, her voice hinted with some desperation in it.

"No! That's too long and you know it, wench!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Four days then! _Please_!"

"No!"

Kagome took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Osuwari."

Inuyasha slammed to the earth, muttering a list of unintelligent sounds as his body hit the ground. Kagome tapped her foot impatiently with her hands over her hips, waiting for him to argue with her again and repeat the word. To her surprise, Inuyasha lifted his face with an expression which displayed that he wasn't going to argue with her any further.

"Fine! Four days," Inuyasha said with his face scrunched up, his hand scratching the back of his head. "But any longer than that and I'm draggin' you back whether you like it or not!"

"Really? Thank you! I promise I'll be back in four days!" Kagome said, her mood immediately changed into a cheerful one. She turned her head to her friends and waved at them. "See you guys later then. I'll be back real soon."

"Alright, Kagome-chan. Be careful over there," Sango said with a wave.

Kagome nodded and gripped the strap of her backpack. She stepped over the wooden casing of the well and glanced over to her Sengoku Jidai friends one last time, a longer gaze for the hanyou—which was able to make him flush. With a smile and a final wave, she jumped inside and disappeared back to her time.

"Well, that went surprisingly well," Miroku said, the first to break the silence.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" Inuyasha asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Shippou commented, "Usually it would end up with Kagome sitting you a hundred times, then she goes back to her time whether you approve it or not. I'm glad that for once, you two didn't argue and make Kagome leave for weeks."

"Yeah," Sango said and nodded. She tilted her head to look at her hanyou friend. "You seem to be in a good mood today. What happened?"

Inuyasha's face turned slightly red (without him noticing). He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, refusing to tell them. He tried recalling previous events. Honestly, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Maybe it was because _Kagome_ was in a good mood. She smiled a lot lately—which was very contagious— _and_ she had been giving him a good amount of ramen. He wasn't sure whether or not it has something to do with him almost getting kidnapped, but he doubted that was the case.

"Keh!" was all he decided to answer, before spinning around and heading back to the village. "I'm gonna head back to Kaede-baba. If you wanna stay here and wonder what happened, be my guest, 'cause _nothin'_ really happened."

His ears flickered when he caught the sound of his friends' footsteps. He could hear the muffled laughter and he clenched his fist inside the sleeve of his suikan. He heard them whispering about him, then about Kagome, then... He stopped. He turned around slowly, giving them a menacing look, telling them with his face alone not to jump to their own conclusions before _he_ starts giving them the same pain equivalent to an 'osuwari'.

"Don't you dare start making assumptions, especially you, you lecherous monk."

"It's not our fault, Inuyasha. You and Kagome-sama fight like husband and wife. Soon, I'm confident that you two will marry and make—"

It was Sango's cue to stop the lecherous monk right there. She grabbed the Hiraikotsu on her back and knocked the end of it towards the monk's head. "Houshi—" some pressure on the monk's skull "—sama..."

Inuyasha glanced away. Kagome and him being husband and wife... could that really happen? Well, he was a hanyou, and hanyou were filthy creatures. And being paired with Kagome, who is likely going to become a miko... wouldn't that tarnish her purity? He frowned. Would Kagome even want him if it affects her status? He knew that Kikyou wouldn't, which was possibly the reason why the dead miko wanted him to be human. A wave of anxiety hit him and he shook his head. Now was not the time to think about marriage. They still had the shards to collect, then there's Naraku, and then there's the guy that's aiming for him and he _still_ had no clue what the hell he wants. It seemed that when the time comes, only then he'll have to hear about Kagome's choice. For now, he can relax and enjoy life as it is.

"My dear Sango, we all know how making children works—"

"Yes... yes we do," Sango said and allowed the Hiraikotsu to keep in touch with Miroku's head. "But we do not need the details, _and_ you can keep your perverted thoughts to yourself."

"Pull yourself together, Miroku," Shippou stated with his arms crossed, head bobbing and his eyes shut.

Kirara meowed softly as if she agreed with Sango's statement.

Inuyasha silently thanked Sango, because his face was already crimson in colour. If anyone was standing in front of him now, they would notice immediately the darker part of his face.

After three knocks from Hiraikotsu, Miroku finally gave up on the topic and decided to change the subject. "Anyway, have you figured out who is out there targeting you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Who knows? Kagome said it was this guy named Waru. I don't even know him or what he wants. All I know is that if I see him, I'm gonna use Tessaiga on him. It's payback for using that puppet on me."

"But you said you wanted to continue the hunt for those jewel shards. Are you sure you don't want to search for this person first?"

"It sounds like a waste of time," Inuyasha said, eyes roaming around as they arrived Kaede's village. "We have no clue who this guy is, where is he now, or what he wants from me. If we start searching, I doubt we'll find anythin' interesting. Let the guy show up and we'll take care of him from there."

Sango nodded. "It's a good plan. We don't have a lead to begin with, so that's probably the easiest solution."

They reached the old miko's hut. Kaede pushed aside the noren and headed out with an empty bucket. She noticed the group was back and realised that things had taken way shorter than she expected.

"Is Kagome back at her time?" the old miko questioned.

"Yes, Kaede-sama," Miroku answered.

"Hm," Kaede said and her eyes landed on the hanyou. "That was quite... _fast_. I expected it to take longer, considering that ye two often fight."

"What's with everyone thinking that we always fight?!" Inuyasha snapped, his hands balled into fists.

"Are you saying that you _don't_ fight then, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked, and everyone turned to look at the hanyou at once, giving a disagreeing look.

Inuyasha stared at them with eyes blinking rapidly before deciding to wave his hand around, an indication that he doesn't want to talk about it anymore—which everyone knew that it meant he had given up, and they've won.

"Anyway, some of the village men has spotted a few youkai roaming around the forest while they were out to chop wood," Kaede said, and her eyes looked up to gaze at the hanyou. "Inuyasha, if ye have the time, do you mind—"

"Yeah, yeah, Kaede-baba," Inuyasha interrupted and swung his arm in a circular motion to release the pressure in his muscles. "I'll handle it."

"We'll come too, Inuyasha," Miroku said.

"Yeah, I have nothing better to do anyway," Sango added.

"Keh! Do as you please," Inuyasha said before leaping off into the forest.

* * *

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara looked around for any youkai that Kaede had mentioned. Shippou decided to stay back at the hut and help Kaede out, so now it was only the four of them. Inuyasha kept his senses on full alert. Every now and then, he would catch the faint sound of rustling coming from the bushes, and the sound of low footsteps, but so far, they haven't caught this said youkai in the forest.

Miroku sighed. "I wonder if there _is_ youkai here to begin with."

Sango nodded. "I don't sense any demonic aura, so I'm guessing it's not that strong?"

"Don't lower your guard," Inuyasha said, his body tensed. "My instincts are practically yelling at me that something isn't right."

"Well, if Inuyasha says that..."

"Then that means there is a youkai," Miroku finished for Sango. "Since dogs have sharper instincts, we should trust—"

"Oi!" Inuyasha yelled and landed a fist on top of the monk's head. "Who are you, callin' me a dog?!"

"Why is he always offended when we relate him to a dog? His name basically has the word 'dog' in it," Miroku whispered to Sango, which was heard by Inuyasha... which earned the monk another good smack on the head.

Their bodies went rigid when a white puff of smoke started surrounding them. Soon, the amount of smoke kept increasing and by the time they realise, it turned out that the whole forest was already covered in mist. With the white cloud of smoke in their vision, they could barely make out the outline of each other, and knew something was definitely going on.

"Houshi-sama? Inuyasha?" Sango called the moment she couldn't see her friends anymore. She could still sense Kirara with her, the neko staying as close as possible, but she couldn't seem to find her other friends. "Houshi-sama! Inuyasha!"

She felt something tracing her back and immediately swung her Hiraikotsu, planning to cut whatever it was in half, until Miroku's panicked voice stopped her from doing so. She squinted and could finally see the monk scratching the back of his head nervously, his face expressing that he was about to do something... very perverted.

"Houshi-sama, do you think this is the time for games?!" Sango hissed, relief mixed in her voice as she found one out of two of her missing friends. But now that she knew this one's intentions, she wished she had found the other first.

"You're right. Forgive me, Sango," Miroku said and had a sheepish smile. He pointed towards her Hiraikotsu which was close to his face. "So... do you mind removing that?"

Sango narrowed her eyes. "We both know what you were trying to do," she said and looked around. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"Hm, good question," Miroku said and glanced at their surroundings. "Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha!" Sango called.

"This must be a trap. I'm thinking this is the same one that tried to take Inuyasha," Miroku said and held his right hand. "Sango, I'm going to use the Kazaana to suck in some of the mist. Please stand back."

* * *

Inuyasha motioned to wherever his mind tells him to. In truth, he had no idea where he was going, or where the others were at. But one thing for sure was that he knew he was trapped. The mist just doesn't seem like a normal occurence and his instincts were constantly telling him that something was wrong. He could only hope that the others were okay. Though, he knew that they were capable of defending themselves. And, with the fact that someone was after _him_ and not them, that was an addition to ease his worries.

He snarled and unsheathed his Tessaiga, feeling a presence and knowing that if he isn't prepared, they might attack first. His ears swiveled to every direction, and his nose was always checking for any new scents. He gripped the hilt of Tessaiga, shifting uncomfortably at the silence. His ears weren't picking any sound, and it was too silent for his liking...

His body became tensed when he heard a feminine chuckle. He turned to where the sound was coming from, and saw a sillouette in the mist, before the person emerged from it and revealing itself. He stared, confused, at the cloak figure that was hovering in front of him. He noticed that the cloak the person was wearing covered their entire body, not revealing anything, even their feet. But what alerted him was that this person was capable of using magic, since they could float in the air, and it was unlikely that this person had wings.

"Inuyasha," the person said, her voice having the same pitch as Kagome's giddy friends, and he immediately assumed she was a girl. "My master is right. You _are_ cute."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry that this update took so long. I had very little motivation to write for some reason, and had to deal with writer's block. Originally, there was suppose to be another chapter before the events here happen, but that chapter was going to be another boring chapter where it's about explaining stuff, so I decided to skip all that and explain them later. I hope the pace of the story isn't too fast since things are in action, but I'm trying to avoid it from dragging too._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **Alannada:** They were _really_ underestimating Sesshoumaru if they think they can make it back alive after challenging him.


	7. Sorceress

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 7:**

 _ **Sorceress**_

* * *

Inuyasha was taken aback by this mysterious person's comment. Soon, he snapped out of his daze and shook his head. His grip on Tessaiga tightened, not only because his instincts were telling him that this person might be the one targeting him, but also because he was offended that the person had used the term _cute_ on him. Having recovered from his earlier state, he could now see the possibility of retrieving answers.

"Who are you? Are you that Waru person?" he asked, but inwardly knew he had mistaken. Waru sounded like a guy's name and this person was definitely the opposite gender. Just to be sure, he asked, "You _are_ a girl, right?"

"Heavens," the cloaked figure responded and slightly tilted her head. "I am one hundred percent female, hanyou. I am offended you think otherwise."

Ignoring the feigned hurt coming from the cloaked figure, Inuyasha wasted no time and immediately unleashed his Wind Scar, narrowly missing his target. She flew swiftly to the side, and it annoyed him with the fact that she could fly. He may not be able to fly as high as her, but as long she was close to him, he could leap towards her any time he wants. Though, now wasn't necessary to launch at her, since she hadn't made the move to attack yet.

"That's a close one," she laughed. "But can you really defeat me? Even a full-blooded youkai isn't guaranteed to finish me off. You see, I'm a very experienced sorceress."

"Yeah, yeah, cut your yappin'," Inuyasha snapped and shifted his stance into a defensive one. "Now tell me, what does your master want from me?"

More laughter echoed the misty forest. Her shadowed face was facing him now, and even if he couldn't make out any of her features, something tells him that this person was smiling.

"How about you win this first, then you find out?"

Inuyasha took this as a challenge and sent another Wind Scar towards the unknown sorceress. Again, she dodged just by flying and he grew more irritated when she had another fit of laughter. God, even Kagome's friends doesn't seem to be as annoying as her. If he could just hit her once, that would surely shut this person up. Too bad Tessaiga doesn't look like a wise choice of fighting at the moment. Deciding that Tessaiga's attacks take too long to fire, he allowed the sword to return to its rusty form, sheathing it, and at the same time, catching the attention of the sorceress.

"Why..." she struggled to regain composure due to her laughter, "Why aren't you using your sword? Why did you keep it away?"

"Since I can't get you with that thing, that means I gotta rely on my speed," he replied as he cracked his knuckles. Without the sorceress expecting, he leapt forward and swiped his claws, " _Sankon Tessou_!"

Totally miscalculating the hanyou's speed, Himitsu barely dodged those deadly claws. Her shoulder was grazed and she hissed in pain as she flew away from the hanyou. She revealed her arm from under the cloak, causing Inuyasha to look uncomfortable at the weird symbols on her hand, and she placed her hand over her injured shoulder. She gripped her shoulder before inspecting the blood that came out from her wound. She smiled under the hood, followed by a giggle.

"Not only are you cute, but you're quite strong too," she said and flicked the blood that had gotten on her hands. "No wonder Waru-sama wishes to have you. You _are_ strong. I guess that's how it is for an inu-youkai, even when you're only a hanyou."

Still not fully understanding this person's intentions, Inuyasha could only do as much as raising his guard at the odd behaviour of his enemy. He suspected that she was going to attack, and just like he had guessed, she revealed her other arm—which also had the same markings all over it—in preparation to attack. She lifted both arms above her shoulders and chanted something he couldn't understand.

Inuyasha's eyes darted around the area, waiting for youkai or whatever thing the sorceress was calling to spawn.

After Himitsu had finished chanting, she smiled, eyes looking down upon the hanyou in front of her. "Let's see you dodge this one, hanyou," she uttered.

Inuyasha now noticed a pink glowing line forming on the ground, and soon enough, he was trapped within a ring. He tried stepping out of it, but it seemed like there were invisible walls confining him. He sneered and unsheathed Tessaiga. No matter. If she wanted to trap him and attack, so be it. He may be stuck within this area, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of defending himself.

The world paused for a brief second, and within that span, Inuyasha's eyes widened when the sound of thunder boomed, before bolts of lightning started dropping from the sky above. His eyes watched as those lights were heading straight for him, and if he doesn't dodge those things, something tells him that he was going to black out with one hit.

* * *

Miroku closed his Wind Tunnel with the beads. He stared at the surroundings with a frustrated look. No matter how much mist he had sucked in, it seemed like there were always more to replace the ones he had sucked. Either that, or all of this was an illusion—and this person was just blocking their vision to see their hanyou friend.

"No luck?" Sango asked, her hand touching the Hiraikotsu attached to her back, always ready to swing it at a moment's notice.

"I'm afraid, no," Miroku said and glanced around. "I'm not sure if this mist is magic or illusion. If it is magic, then this person proves to be troublesome. But if it is an illusion, then we better find a way to snap out of it."

"Houshi-sama, do you hear that?" Sango suddenly asked as her body stiffened. Her eyes darted around the trees. "It sounds like someone is fighting..."

Miroku stayed silent for a while, ears focusing for any type of sound. The sight of his eyes widening were the only indication he gave to Sango that he heard the sounds of battling as well, and they could both assume that it was their hanyou friend.

Kirara growled and headed off to a direction. Sango and Miroku exchanged looks—having an unspoken agreement, and followed where the nekomata was going. It was most likely that Kirara was able to tell where Inuyasha was at, given that she has better hearing and sense of smell than them.

Miroku, Sango and Kirara stopped when the mist seemed to dissipate. They all looked around, searching for their hanyou friend, until they spotted him. His face had a few mere scratches, but other than that, he looked fine and well. The hanyou's eyes widened when he noticed them and quickened his pace, wasting no time to reunite with his friends.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Sango asked and examined her friend from head to toe.

"Keh! I'm fine. Like some weak youkai could hurt me."

"So it _is_ true that a youkai was wandering here. But I'm sure it was no coincidence. Is it the person that has been targeting you?" Miroku questioned.

"No, but it was one of the guy's minions," Inuyasha said with a frown. "She was a sorceress."

Miroku was caught off guard by his friend's statement. "A sorceress, you say?"

"Yeah. She was able to do this weird magic where she sends thunder down on me. You guys were lucky that I happen to be the one they wanted. Her attacks would've sliced you guys apart."

Miroku smiled. "Oh well. It seems that you didn't really need our help, but we're glad that you're alright, and nothing bad happened."

"Keh!"

Miroku and Sango shared the same smile and turned to head back to the village. Even though they weren't able to do anything, and Inuyasha did all of the fighting, they were still glad that they were able to accompany the hanyou. They were aware how restless the hanyou could get without Kagome's presence. Now that he had—what it seemed—a good fight, they were convinced that he wouldn't bother Kagome until she gets back according to her promised time.

Shippou, who happened to be right outside of Kaede's hut, was the first to greet their return. The kitsune was carrying a bucket filled with water larger than himself—over his head. He struggled with the bucket, taking his steps a little too fast for both—forward and backwards. He almost dropped the whole thing, but was saved when Inuyasha lifted the bucket off his hands. He sighed in relief and looked up to his saviour.

"You don't really have to do that," he frowned, but felt embarassed that he wasn't capable of doing a simple task. He crossed his hands defensively and looked down. "I could've done it."

"And let ya make a fool of yourself? Might as well I help ya," Inuyasha scoffed and carried the bucket inside Kaede's hut.

Sango beamed, rarely seeing the hanyou being nice to the kitsune. It was a shame that Kagome wasn't here to see this, or she would've seen that the hanyou and kit actually get along really nicely... sometimes. Beside her, she found Miroku watching the same scene with a wide grin.

"We should go inside and have lunch, Houshi-sama," Sango said and Kirara mewed in agreement, transforming into the harmless, small cat form. Sango chuckled, "I know, I know. You must be hungry, eh Kirara?"

Another mew escaped the small kitten, and the taijiya couldn't help but laugh. She entered Kaede's hut, leaving Miroku still standing alone.

"Is there something on ye mind, Houshi-dono?"

Miroku was pulled away from his thoughts upon hearing the old miko's voice. He gave Kaede a faint smile and his eyes trailed back at the hut where Inuyasha and the others were inside. All of a sudden, a slight frown appeared on his lips.

"Forgive me, Kaede-sama. It's just that... I have a feeling that something is not right," the monk admitted.

"Is that so?" Kaede said and slumped her shoulders. "Did something happen while ye were out to seek the youkai the villagers had mentioned?"

Miroku nodded. "Out of nowhere, a thick mist appeared. Sango and I were seperated from Inuyasha, and it seems that he was the only one that ended up dealing with the enemy. But after he came back... I couldn't help but feel a slight shift with his demonic aura."

"Aye. Now that ye have mentioned it, his aura has become quite... subtle. I sense not much difference from earlier, but I can definitely see the change," Kaede nodded in agreement with her arms behind her back. "I am not aware of what the enemy is capable of, but if there is no change in Inuyasha's behavior, then we might be fretting over nothing."

"Inuyasha's enemy was a sorceress..." Miroku begun.

Kaede's eyes widened. "Oh no."

"I'm afraid, yes," Miroku said and shook his head. "What I fear is that... sorcerers are like fox youkai, they use magic. Except... their magic isn't an illusion, it's the real thing."

After examining the monk carefully, Kaede breathed out, "Houshi-dono, do ye think that Inuyasha is under manipulation?"

Miroku swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know what happened back there, but it is possible that Inuyasha could be manipulated by them. If his soul is within their reach, they might use him for their advantages, and we might have to perform a ritual to sever his ties from them."

"I agree," Kaede commented. "But that is only if he is truly manipulated. Right now, nothing out of the ordinary has happened, so it is safe to say that he has not been manipulated yet."

Miroku only nodded, biting his lip nervously at the risk of his friend being manipulated. Not only that, but manipulation itself was one scary thing. The controller could bring harm upon their victims, and if they don't sever their ties with the controller, then the soul would be forever in the hands of those manipulating. At first, he thought that the difference in Inuyasha's aura was only his imagination, but his fears were confirmed to be real when Kaede noticed it too. Nonetheless, he couldn't tell the hanyou himself the news. He wasn't sure whether his hanyou friend was under manipulation right now, but if he does, then whatever he tells the hanyou, the one that controls would know what he said too.

Assuming that the person who manipulates thinks that none of Inuyasha's friends were aware of the change in the hanyou, he would have to pretend that everything was normal in front of Inuyasha. He could tell Sango after the hanyou was out of hearing range. Right now, it was all too risky. If the person who controls Inuyasha finds out that someone is aware that Inuyasha was manipulated, who knows what the person might make Inuyasha do?

Giving a nod as his final response, he forced himself to relax his posture and made his way inside the hut. Sango was eating peacefully with Kirara, while Inuyasha was busy taunting the tiny kitsune with the stolen food. So far, nothing weird was happening. Either Inuyasha hasn't been manipulated yet, or the person who was controlling Inuyasha was good at imitating the hanyou—which he doubted was the case.

"Miroku, help!" Shippou shrieked as he hopped onto his shoulder.

"You're not getting out of this one unscathed, runt," Inuyasha said in a menacing grin. "Kagome ain't here to save ya, so you better start prayin' that you're alive by the time she returns."

"That's not fair! Why do _I_ have to get hit when _you_ were the one that stole _my_ food?" Shippou shouted, but cowered behind Miroku the moment Inuyasha inched closer.

" _Because_ , this is for all the times she sat me because of _you_ ," Inuyasha answered.

"Inuyasha, I think that's enough," Kaede said with a shake of her head as she placed a hand over the hanyou's shoulder. "Why don't ye leave the kitsune and have—"

Kaede's only good eye widened when she felt this odd sensation. She was now facing the back of Inuyasha's skull, but she didn't like it one bit when the hanyou was slowly turning his head to face her. From the contact she had made, and the weird feeling she was getting... something wasn't right. And it confirmed her suspicions when the hanyou was looking at her face, his face faceless.

She blinked and stared at the hanyou in disbelief. She wasn't dreaming; Inuyasha's face was really _gone_.

Sango, who happened to be sitting behind Kaede and Inuyasha, screamed when she saw Inuyasha's faceless face. His eyes, nose, mouth—they were all missing. But what scared her more was when the body dropped lifelessly to the ground, before leaving a plain wooden doll—about the size of the hanyou—behind.

"It can't be," Miroku exclaimed and quickly approached the lying doll. "I thought he was manipulated, but _this_..."

"What's going on? What happened to Inuyasha?" Sango said anxiously. "Houshi-sama, _what happened to Inuyasha_?"

"Child, it seems what ye brought back was not yer friend, but a puppet," Kaede said, trying to calm the now panicking taijiya. "To think someone was this skilled to made an imitation of Inuyasha... this is no ordinary puppet master."

"Then... the Inuyasha we saw just now wasn't real?" Sango asked, her voice wavering.

"Aye," Kaede said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Inuyasha you brought back was a fraud."


	8. Increasing Anxiety

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 8:**

 _ **Increasing Anxiety**_

* * *

Shippou couldn't believe it. How could he not realise that the Inuyasha just now was a fake? Now that he thought about it, he _did_ notice Inuyasha's lack of scent, but figured it wasn't a big deal. If he knew something like _this_ was possible, which was making a puppet that imitates someone, he would've commented about Inuyasha's scent the moment the hanyou and the others returned.

Miroku sat on his haunches and inspected the wooden doll that was now lying on the floor. He used the end of his staff to poke the thing, before lifting the doll up and made closer inspection. He tilted the doll and found blood on one of the doll's limb. He tilted the thing again, and noticed four strands of silver hair—which undoubtedly belonged to Inuyasha—attached on top of the doll's head.

"Shippou, can you make out whose blood is this?" Miroku asked, his head turning to the kitsune.

Shippou nodded silently and approached the doll. He bent down and took a few sniffs of the blood. His eyes widened and he looked up to Miroku—his face a mixture of shock and fear. "It's Inuyasha's."

"Damn," Miroku said and ran a hand through his dark hair.

He _had_ heard about the ability to make an imitation of someone with a puppet. If only he remembered about it earlier, he would've mentioned it by now. He was aware that making these weren't an easy task, but he should've known it was possible, since the puppeteer who attacked Inuyasha was a skilled one.

"Houshi-sama," Sango said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "If Inuyasha just now was a puppet, then could it be—"

"Yes," he cut her off, and said, "Inuyasha might probably still be in the forest. Either that, or he has been captured. I really do hope it isn't the latter."

"Then let's look for him," Sango said, standing up and fetching her Hiraikotsu. "Kirara."

Kirara immediately heard the signal and transformed into her large fire cat form. She let out a growl and waited for Sango to get ready for the search.

Shippou watched as Miroku and Sango prepare to head back to the forest. "Can I come too?"

"I don't see why not," Miroku answered.

* * *

Kagome tapped her finger impatiently on the desk. She had been trying to study after gaining some peace, but she was having _this_ feeling that something happened back at the Sengoku Jidai. She threw a glance towards the well hidden under the wooden structure. She knew that Inuyasha would come back if something had happened, but also knew that Inuyasha tends to keep his promises. She shook her head to reassure herself. Inuyasha only promised to let her stay at the Mordern Era for four days, that doesn't mean he couldn't visit if something comes up. He _would_ visit if there was an emergency... right?

At the back of her mind, her brain questioned; what if something happened to _Inuyasha_? That Waru guy was obviously aiming for him, and from the looks of it, it wasn't as if he had given up on Inuyasha. _But_ , Sango and Miroku were there with Inuyasha. And... Inuyasha was one tough hanyou to defeat, so there was _no way_ something bad had happened... even though her instincts were telling her to check on them.

Everything was fine.

... _Right_?

She let out a grunt, and at the same time, she wanted to throw her textbook out of the window. After finally having Souta out of her room, and Inuyasha wasn't here to bother her to head back, she should be focusing on her studies to pass her test. So why was it so hard to focus when the world was allowing her to? She gave another quick peek at where the well was at. Should she take a quick visit to the well just to calm herself?

She shook her head for the second time. No, Inuyasha and the others were fine. She was just being paranoid. She knew that they wouldn't head anywhere other than Kaede's village without her. And knowing Inuyasha, he was probably just waiting by the well for her to come back. Yeah... that was how things were going at the Sengoku Jidai... right?

She shook her head. She's just overthinking things!

Kagome laid her forehead on the surface of her desk. She needed some motivation to study, and surely, hers were lacking to the point of preventing her from doing so. She turned her head to the side and stared at the jewel shards inside the small vial she usually carries around. She balled her hands into fists, determined to get this over with. She had made a promise to Inuyasha that she would be back in four days because of this test, and she wouldn't disappoint him by failing it. She gripped the cover of her textbook and started flipping through the pages.

She was going to ace this test... and head back to Inuyasha!

* * *

It had been five days since Inuyasha went missing, and Kagome's return to the well. Each day, Sango and Miroku would head out to search for the missing hanyou. Though, they didn't go far, so that they would be able to return in time whenever Kagome decides to head back. They needed her in order to search for the hanyou. She could sense jewel shards, and if the enemy owns one, they might be lucky enough to cross paths with them and find their hanyou friend.

Both, Miroku and Sango, were starting to get restless when Kagome hasn't return yet. She was a day late, and they couldn't afford to delay their search any longer. The young miko _promised_ to be back by yesterday, but when Kaede shook her head at their questioning gaze, they knew that she might return later than expected. They were baffled. They wanted to search for Inuyasha, but at the same time, they had to wait for Kagome in order to get an advantage. It was really frustrating.

"What if Inuyasha is dead by now?! We can't just sit here and wait!" Shippou cried as tears were streaming down his face. "We _have_ to find him!"

"Shippou, we want to find Inuyasha as soon as possible too. But without Kagome-chan, and with no lead, we don't have a clue where he is," Sango tried to reassure the kitsune, but it only earned her a loud whimper. "Shippou..."

"I..." the kitsune sniffled. "I know that Inuyasha is strong, and... and... he is a bully sometimes. But... _but_... he takes care of me, and... even though he's loud and rude, I... I don't want him to die..."

"I know, I know," Sango cooed and sent a worried glance towards Miroku. Her face was focused on the monk, but her voice was directed to the kitsune, "I _promise_ we'll find him."

Facing each other, Sango and Miroku could somehow read each other's minds. They knew they had to find the hanyou _fast_. They weren't sure what these people wanted with him, but their guess was that it wasn't something that does good to the world, nor towards the half-demon. They could only hope that the hanyou isn't dead by now, and is planning to escape from his captives. They knew Inuyasha was strong and wouldn't give up so easily. If he is beaten to the brink of death, then they could only hope for his demon side to protect him while they search for him. Of course, Inuyasha's demon side would be the last resort for his survival. They were actually relying more on Tessaiga to protect the hanyou.

Kaede pushed aside the noren and watched as the group were lying down miserably. She sighed internally. It had been days since anyone saw Inuyasha. When the hanyou went missing, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou quickly searched for him in the forest. Unfortunately, all they found were some drops of his blood. The worst part was that they couldn't track down which direction Inuyasha's captives went.

"Houshi-dono, Sango, are ye going to search for Inuyasha today?"

Sango looked at the old miko. "We'll start our search in a few more minutes."

Kaede let out a deep breath and slowly knelt on the ground, her bones cracking audibly. "Is there really no sign of Inuyasha?"

"Unfortunately, no," Miroku responded and frowned. "This proves to be very difficult. We have no idea where to search for him. We have a name, but after some questioning, it seems no one is familiar with it."

Kaede thought for a while. "Do ye think Naraku is involve?"

Sango and Miroku tensed at the name of the spider hanyou. The two of them exchanged looks, before facing Kaede. Judging by their looks, Kaede assumed that Naraku didn't cross their minds. She wasn't sure if he _is_ involved, but something tells her that the spider hanyou might know a thing or two about Inuyasha's disappearance.

"It's been a while since Naraku has made an appearance," Miroku stated and glanced at Sango through the corner of his eye. "I believe it's possible that he may be involved with the disappearance of our hanyou friend."

"But didn't Kagome-chan said that the puppeteer's master is called Waru?" Sango commented.

"He may be the one ordering the child, but it's possible that Naraku is assisting him in other ways."

"Hmm... that's true."

Kirara, who was resting on the floor, got up abruptly. Her ears perked up and she mewed as if she was sensing something.

Sango gazed at her cat companion for a few moments in confusion. But then, her body shot up when she heard the all too familiar voice.

"Everyone, I'm back!"

Miroku was now standing too, and in sync, all of them turned their heads as Kagome appeared at the doorway. Her hands were on her knees, and she was struggling to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she stood straight up, her eyes roaming in search for a particular someone.

"Where's Inuyasha? Is he mad at me for being a day late?" Kagome said as she lowered her backpack from her shoulders. "I brought ramen for him as an apology. Jii-chan was sick, so I had to help Mama—"

"Kagome..."

Hearing the voice laced with sadness, Kagome paused her actions and looked down at the tiny kitsune. Shippou placed a hand on her leg, a sniffle audible. Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she bent down to inspect the kit a little more. She stroke the orange hair, noticing the tear stained cheeks. Her anxiety grew in her stomach, but she refused to panic.

"Shippou-chan, did Inuyasha do something to you while I was gone?" Kagome felt like that wasn't the problem, but she didn't want to imagine the worst that could've happened. "I promise you, I'll—"

"Kagome-chan, Inuyasha has been taken away."

Sango's voice was all Kagome needed to drop to her knees, her eyes widening in fear. So all the bad feeling she was getting was real then? She wasn't just overthinking things? But it couldn't be... Inuyasha was... Inuyasha was the difficult type to get captured. There was no way it could be _that_ easy... right?

Images of the hanyou getting killed flashed inside her mind, but she pushed them away. "When did it happen?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"It happened on the day when you headed back," Miroku replied. "Kaede-sama said some of the villagers spotted some youkai roaming in the forest, so we decided to check it out."

Sango continued explaining the part where a thick layer of mist appeared. And she revealed about their return, including the part where they realised that Inuyasha was, well, _not_ Inuyasha. Surprisingly, Kagome listened in silence, her face horrified yet determined. Once the taijiya finished explaining, Kagome stood up and reached for her bow that she left in the corner of Kaede's hut.

"Then we should start searching for Inuyasha then," Kagome said as she gathered her bow and arrows. "Is everyone okay with searching for him now?"

Sango and Miroku smiled at Kagome's determination. They nodded at the same time, and stood up in preparation to leave. They planned to head out a bit later, but now that Kagome was here, they see no reason to stall any longer. Even Shippou stopped crying and put on a brave face, claiming that Inuyasha wouldn't want to see him acting like a baby. Kaede observed as the group got ready, a small smile tugging at her lips.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was pissed.

No, pissed was an understatement. Furious would be the correct term.

For the past few days, ever since he had defeated the group of those six weak youkai, more had been appearing to fight him. With their weak attacks and bad strategy, he knew that this was some kind of distraction before the "boss" appears. Still, even though killing each youkai that stood in his way barely takes a minute to finish, he was annoyed that every time he defeats one, another one appears the next day. How much more youkai does he need to slay—to show this person that no matter what he sends—it'll be futile? Even if the person sends the "boss", he doubt that they would even win.

Moreover, he had been thinking whether he had heard the names given to him before. Jikiko, the puppeteer. Waru, the one responsible for this. And then Himitsu, the one that taught those lowly youkai how to create a barrier that suppresses his demonic energy. If Himitsu is capable of such thing, then he could assume that she is able to use magic—which means, she was a sorcerer.

He concentrated on the name Himitsu. He could've sworn he heard the name before, but he could barely recall where he had heard it. Himitsu the sorceress...

Then he remembered.

When Sesshoumaru halted, Jaken instantly fell silent. Sesshoumaru hadn't even realise that the toad was talking to him, but of course, the toad's words were far from his concern. Turning to face his retainer and ward, both Rin and Jaken noticed that he was looking at them. Rin got down from Ah-Un, and Jaken stepped closer to him, knowing that something on his mind needed to he spoken.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Is something the matter?" Jaken muttered, his tiny hands clutching at his staff.

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, before turning around. He decided that he didn't have to say it and should only make them follow. They would have to change courses and started heading for the village Inuyasha and that human miko were usually at. Even though he wasn't fond of the place, but that would be the safest location to leave Rin, and probably Jaken—if he proves to be a nuisance.

He mentally slapped himself for not remembering earlier. That sorceress Himitsu... how could he have forgotten? So far, he was aware that she was placed under a seal. If she is back in action, then there's no doubt that the others were too. The only thing that bothered him now was that he had never heard the name Waru and Jikiko before. But if a battle were to happen between them, losing wasn't an option to him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, where are we going?" Rin asked, her eyes looking up to the demon lord.

Jaken glanced around the direction they were heading. If his master refused to tell them where they were going, then he just had to search for the answer himself. Noticing the familiar-looking path, Jaken's eyes widened.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama! Why are we heading to that half-breed's village?" he asked. When the demon lord kept walking, he risked on asking again, "Sesshoumaru-sama...?"

"Silence, Jaken."

"Y-Yes, my lord!"

Rin, not grasping the words Jaken had said, asked, "Which village are we heading to, Jaken-sama?"

"We are heading to Sesshoumaru-sama's brother, a _half-breed's_ , village," Jaken answered, annoyed.

Rin's mouth became a wide 'O' before she started humming. She had never met Sesshoumaru-sama's brother before, but she was curious to know how he looks like. Was he like Sesshoumaru-sama? Does he have long silver hair and pretty golden eyes too? A wide smile tugged at her lips. She was excited to see how her lord's brother looked like. She was eager to know his characteristics, for some weird reason.

Silently, Sesshoumaru kept walking as he heard Jaken and Rin talking. He despised having to leave his ward at that half-breed's village, but there was no place safe enough to keep Rin until this battle is over. He would not allow harm to fall upon Rin, and prevent his enemies from using her as an advantage.

The reason why he suddenly decided to change destinations would be a mystery to his ward and retainer, but not to him. After recollecting some memories, and knowing that Himitsu's seal had been broken, then it would be possible that _his_ seal had been broken too. His mind focused solely on _him_. Is that the reason why they kept sending weak youkai after him? To keep him distracted before _he_ appears? If his theory was correct, then sending Rin away is a good idea.

Sesshoumaru had battled him before. He was quite troublesome, and it surely wasn't a simple task to defeat him. But that had been hundreds of years ago. It would be foolish if they send _him_ to fight him now. He had gained strength over time, meanwhile, _he_ hasn't due to his seal. Unless... they had a plan to increase his power.

He sneered at the thought of having to fight him again.

 _Mouretsu, it seems we might face each other again_ , he thought bitterly as his claws threatened to glow green.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry we didn't get to see what happened to our hanyou. But don't worry, we'll be seeing him in the next chapter._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **meladi1** : When does Inuyasha have manners lol. And wow, I have to admit, you're smart. I guess reading all those mystery stories allows you to predict easily, huh? Oh, and I hope Inuyasha is alright... I mean, I don't want something bad to happen to him...

 **yashayasha** : Why thank you.


	9. Bird In a Cage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

 **A/N:** For Sesshoumaru's character, I'm not really sure when he uses "this Sesshoumaru" or "I" to refer himself, so I just use both depending which one suits better. And yes, Sesshoumaru appears in this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 9:**

 _ **Bird In a Cage**_

* * *

Pain.

It had been a while since everything felt so painful. The last time was when he was a pup. A villager had captured him and placed an ofuda on his head to keep him from using his powers. The man then continously gave him beatings for no particular reason. It had been so painful back then, and it was all because his healing abilities weren't as good as now.

But this time, it was as if his abilities were like back then.

His healing had slowed down, and it was thanks to this damned room. To weaken him, they had placed a barrier that suppresses his demonic energy. They also had taken away Tessaiga. It was fun to watch when the barrier rejected the hands of those demons, but the fun ended when they called for a human servant to carry it away. If it wasn't for this barrier, he would've turned into a demon by now, since he wasn't with Tessaiga, and escape. But fate loves being cruel to him and offered him this. Does his friends even know he was here? Of course not. By the time they arrive here, he was surely as good as dead.

On the first day of his captivity, he was furious when Naraku's smug face was the first thing he saw when he returned conciousness. He reacted with swiping his claws at the half-demon, but his speed had been reduced and Naraku dodged the attack effortlessly.

He was glad that they didn't use retraints on him, but at the same time, it offended him because it was proof that he had become weak.

Inuyasha let out an exhausted sigh and laid his head on the wooden wall. This was the fifth day since he was first captured. He was hungry, tired, and his body ached all over. His suikan and kosode were taken away—probably ended up with Tessaiga—so that it would be much easier for them to take his blood. He had no idea why they needed his blood, but that was the only thing he knew why they wanted him. Eyes tiredly casting down on his arms, he shivered in disgust. Bruises and slashes from the whipping sessions littered all over his flesh. His hair was ragged and no longer glow the beautiful silver he once knew. If only he could heal faster and take a bath, he wouldn't have to see his body in such an ugly condition. It was bad enough that he was considered filth due to his half-breed status.

He heard the door being unlocked and the little girl, he knew as Jikiko, came in. She brought in a tray with a small portion of food and a glass of water. For some reason, his body doesn't tense with her presence. Maybe it was because of her child-like appearance, who knows? Though, he was no fool. He knew she was powerful the moment he found out that she was the one that sent those puppets to him—and the one that released him while he was unconscious. She was an enemy, but one thing he liked about her is that she barely talks. And when she does, her voice doesn't hold any tone of hostility.

She laid the tray on the ground and brought the glass of water to his parched lips. "Drink," she said quietly.

On the first three days, he would've refused her help on bringing the glass to his face, but now, he could barely move his limbs. He parted his lips and she tilted the glass slightly so that the water would enter little by little. Once he had drank, she eyed the food on the tray.

"Can you eat yourself?" she questioned.

He opened his mouth to answer, but no voice came out. So he only nodded.

Ignoring his response, she knelt on the ground and brought the spoon up to his mouth.

He clamped his mouth shut, refusing to let her feed him. He may have allowed her to let him drink, but that was because he was desperate to cease the dryness in his throat. That still didn't change his viewpoint on her. She was his enemy, and whether she was pitiying him or not, he doesn't need her help.

"I—" he licked his dry lips. "I can do it myself."

She paid no attention to his refusal and continued poking the spoon at his lips. At last, he opened his mouth, allowing the food to enter. He chewed it silently, his head bowed.

Another thing he liked about her is that she wasn't like Naraku. There was a time when Naraku came in and brought him food. The demon had actually _taunted_ him like some animal, holding the plate in the air, knowing that he couldn't stand up after freshly beaten. But that was the last time he saw the imbecile came in. After that, it had always been her.

"They're coming," Jikiko said, her voice soft snd low, as she pushed a strand of her blonde hair over her humanoid ears.

Inuyasha blinked. "Huh?"

Jikiko's eyes flickered to the people at the doorway, causing the hanyou to look where she was facing. She found Himitsu and Naraku standing there, and she stood up from her kneeling position.

"I pity you, hanyou," Himitsu said, her voice genuinely apologetic as Jikiko carried the tray away. The sorceress loomed over Inuyasha's bruised body. "I told Waru-sama that you're not halfway healed yet, but he said he only wanted a little more blood for today. Goodness, my lord can be very impatient."

Inuyasha wasn't paying full attention to Himitsu's words. Instead, he caught Jikiko glancing at him one more time, before she left the room.

Inuyasha shifted his focus on the people in the room when he caught movement. Himitsu moved out of the way, while Naraku stepped in. Inuyasha couldn't stop his ears from drooping slightly on top of his head. It earned him a chuckle from Naraku.

He knew what was coming next. Naraku was in charge of beating him, while Himitsu's role was to absorb his splattered blood with her magic.

Before they start, Himitsu warned with a playful, yet serious, voice, "Naraku, you better not kill my intended toy."

"As you wish, my lady," Naraku said as he stretched the whip he was about to use on Inuyasha. "Now, Inuyasha, you know how this goes, do you?"

Inuyasha bit back a growl, not wanting to give Naraku the satisfaction by yelling at him.

Naraku chuckled. With no warning, he grabbed a fistful of the hanyou's silver hair, dragging him to the middle of the room. Inuyasha wanted to release himself from Naraku's grasp, but couldn't find the strength in his arms anymore. In the center of the room, he was thrown harshly on the ground, his bare back—that still had the injuries from the earlier whipping session—facing Naraku's sadistic grin.

He gasped out in pain the moment the whip made contact with his body. He could feel his own cool blood trailing down his back, spilling on the floor. Then, followed by another slash. And another. He clenched his fists as he endured the pain. He wasn't weak, he reminded himself. As long as he doesn't cry out in pain, or release the slightest whimper, he wasn't weak.

"Come on, Inuyasha," he heard Naraku say from behind him, his voice filled with amusement. "Maybe if you cry, I'll reduce the pain. How does that sound?"

The whips kept coming, and Inuyasha had to keep his eyes shut to bear with it. The bleeding would be a pain to heal soon. The only thing that kept him sane was Himitsu's words that mentioned they just needed a little more of his blood.

"That's enough, Naraku. Any more, and the boy dies," Himitsu said. One of the her other abilities is that she could tell if someone is on the verge of death. Apparently, her job is to also stop the beating immediately before he dies.

"Already? But I'm not even half satisfied yet."

Inuyasha's ears caught the sound of something whooshing his way. With willpower, he opened his dull golden eyes to see Himitsu's shadowed face looking down on him.

Himitsu stared at him before looking away. She reached her arms out, and the blood pooling around his body vanished. Her arms retreated back under her cloak and she flew away from him. He heard Naraku's footsteps (since Himitsu was floating) becoming more distant, and soon, the door was closed behind him.

Inuyasha laid there for a few minutes. He tried lifting his head, and a wave of dizziness hit him due to the blood loss. He ended staying where he was, unmoving. He decided, while waiting for himself to gather enough strength, he should heal some of the bleeding wounds. He concentrated his energy onto healing the worst injury. When he had finished healing that one wound, he felt worse than before. His vision blurred and black spots were popping here and there. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

It was time to take a nap again.

* * *

They finally reached the end of the forest. Sesshoumaru started walking in long strides, his nose inhaling the air and searching for the hanyou's particular scent. Villagers glanced at him before retreating into their huts, fear emitting from their bodies. Sesshoumaru paid no heed to them, and instead, focused on one hut that had Inuyasha's scent the strongest. Though, something was unsettling. Inuyasha's scent was there, but it seemed that the scent was a few days old.

Before he reached the front of the hut, Inuyasha's human companions had rushed out of the structure—probably sensing his demonic aura. He had purposely kept his aura revealed to notify them that he was arriving. He was a youkai with pride, and he wouldn't do something as low as barging into a person's hut without manners. Thankfully, they had came out first, and saved him a lot of unwanted trouble.

"Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?" Sesshoumaru recognised the girl as the young miko Inuyasha usually hangs out with. He watched as her grip tightened on her bow, her knuckles turning white from the mere action.

Sesshoumaru ignored their animosity towards him and said, "Inuyasha is not here." It was meant to be a question, but it had came out more like a statement.

The monk cleared his throat, a hand reached out as a sign to halt the other companions from doing anything rash. "Sesshoumaru, as you have stated, Inuyasha is not here. He has been captured by a sorceress. The one who had targeted him is a youkai named Waru. Is there any chance that you have seen him?"

Sesshoumaru appreciated that the monk had explained everything without him asking, so he decided to answer his question, "No."

Sesshoumaru noticed the miko and the taijiya exchanged worried glances. If he had listened properly, the monk mentioned that Inuyasha had been taken by a sorceress. So it seemed that Himitsu was successful in capturing him. Inuyasha was a strong fighter, that was how much Sesshoumaru was willing to give, but Himitsu had proven herself a very skillful sorceress. It was no surprise if Inuyasha wasn't able to defeat her.

"May I ask you another question?" the monk spoke again.

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment. Then, he answered, "You may."

"What brings you here?"

"This Sesshoumaru would like to see the hanyou," Sesshoumaru replied, his voice impassive. "However, due to the hanyou's lack of presence, this Sesshoumaru would like to speak with the owner of this hut."

"That would be me."

Everyone turned their heads to an old miko, who had pushed aside the noren and was now standing outside of the hut. Sesshoumaru eyed the miko. He was aware that none of Inuyasha's companions owned the hut in front of him, since there was an unfamiliar scent that was the strongest here, and that woman had the unfamiliar scent. Since Inuyasha often stays here, it is safe to assume that Inuyasha trusts this woman.

The old miko bowed respectfully. "I am known as Kaede, my lord. Is there something ye need from me?"

Sesshoumaru noted that he finds the old miko toleratable by her way of respect. "This Sesshoumaru would like to leave his ward and retainer at your home."

" _Whaaat_?" came a high-pitched screech.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he fought himself from sending his fist on top of Jaken's head.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, why? Why must you leave me in this repulsive village—"

"Jaken, you will heed to my orders."

"Y-Yes... Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken replied dejectedly with his head bowed.

Kaede stared at his retainer before she met his gaze. "Is there a reason for yer request, my lord?"

Sesshoumaru hated explaining things, but it seemed he owed a debt to this miko for not declining his request. "This Sesshoumaru believes the youkai you have mentioned, Waru, will be sending a powerful youkai that has been once sealed, to attack him. It is unwise to allow Rin to get involved with the battle," he turned his head to face the human child that was standing beside Ah-Un. "Rin."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she said, her face cheerful (unlike a certain toad) even though she was being left at an unknown village.

"You and Jaken will listen to this miko," he said, ignoring his retainer's muffled wails. His focus was back on the miko. "Miko, you will not allow harm to befall on my ward. I will be back to retrieve Rin in a matter of time."

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama! I am hurt that you only mentioned Rin—"

With one swing of his hand, the toad was knocked out cold. Sesshoumaru exhaled slowly through his nose, pleased that he finally received the peace he craved. However, Inuyasha's companions gasped at the fallen toad. He paid no mind to their reactions and looked at Kaede again.

Kaede bowed her head. "I will do my best to keep the child safe, my lord."

"But why are you leaving your ward here? I thought you hated Inuyasha," the taijiya commented.

Sesshoumaru turned around, ignoring the taijiya's question.

Kagome noticed that Sesshoumaru was about to leave, and decided to grab this opportunity. "Wait!"

Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks, but didn't bother to face her.

"We... um... we need help in searching for Inuyasha. Even if Shippou-chan and Kirara's sense of smell is better than us, but we still can't find him like this," Kagome said, her voice laced with uncertainty. "Please help us, Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha is... Inuyasha is going to die if we don't save him on the time he is weakened."

Sango and Miroku's eyes widened when Kagome had practically revealed about Inuyasha's secret, but Kagome reassured that she had not revealed the important details.

"You speak of Inuyasha's human night," Sesshoumaru said, which took the humans by surprise.

"Y-You knew?" Kagome stuttered.

Sesshoumaru responded with a brief, "Yes."

"That's why we need your help! I'm not sure myself what they are doing to Inuyasha, but at this rate, he's going to die!"

Sesshoumaru was silent for a few moments. Finally, he answered, "This Sesshoumaru does not permit the hanyou to die by the hand of others," he said, his back still at the group. "In time, this Sesshoumaru will be the one to end that half-breed's life."

Sesshoumaru resumed his steps to head back to the forest, away from the village. He could care less if Mouretsu decides to attack this village, but since he had left Rin here, he would like to stay as far away as possible from here until the battle is over.

"Goodbye, Sesshoumaru-sama!" he heard Rin say before he entered the forest.

* * *

Waru headed to the one door he had been looking for among the others doors. Without even bothering to knock, he opened the door and found Himitsu in front of a large body clad in armour—which was Mouretsu. The sorceress turned her head, but her hands were still extended towards Mouretsu, her powers trying to break his seal.

"Is it done?" Waru asked as he took a step closer to the sorceress.

"Almost, my lord," Himitsu said and faced Mouretsu's sealed body. "It had been months since I've been working to undo his seal. I believe, in a few days time, he will be awakened."

"Excellent."

"My lord, may I ask you a question?"

Waru gave a curt nod.

"I believe we are sending Mouretsu to battle the Lord of the West. But why do we still need his blood if we already have the hanyou's?"

Waru smirked. "I'm just taking precautions, Himitsu. I'm not sure myself if we need it, but it is just in case Inuyasha's blood is not enough."

Himitsu nodded and glanced at Waru, before facing Mouretsu again.

"My lord, do you think Mouretsu will win?"

Waru was caught off guard by her question. This is the first time he heard Himitsu doubt Mouretsu's power. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, Mouretsu has once battled Sesshoumaru before. In fact, the Lord of the West was the one that had defeated him hundreds of years ago," Himitsu explained. "And for the years that Mouretsu has been sealed, Sesshoumaru, no doubt, has increased his power."

"So you are saying that Sesshoumaru is stronger than Mouretsu now," Waru said, and Himitsu bobbed her head. "Ah, and that is when _you_ come in, Himitsu."

Himitsu whipped her head towards her lord, not fully comprehending what his statement meant. "I don't understand, my lord."

"Once you've broken Mouretsu's seal, for the next few days, you will be focusing on your magic to enhance his abilities."

Himitsu stayed silent for a few moments, before answering, "But it will drain my magic, my lord."

"Himitsu, I trust you can handle something as miniscule as that."

Himitsu didn't answer immediately. "As you wish, my lord."

"Excellent," Waru said, pleased.

Unknowingly to Waru, Himitsu had a disgusted expression formed on her face, safely concealed under her hood.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I'm sorry for treating Inuyasha this way, but I can't help but enjoy writing his part (I'm probably much more evil than Naraku). It seems that Sesshoumaru is getting prepared to fight Mouretsu... will he able to win?_

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **StudentoftheBible:** I'm not Christian, but thank you for sharing.

 **Cresent Blue:** Hmm... I'm curious to know where the story leads too. I wonder what's going to happen to Sesshoumaru... And thank you for your review. I'm glad that you enjoy this story!

 **thetinyburrito:** Don't worry, I stalk you too.


	10. Reunion

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 10:**

 _ **Reunion**_

* * *

Miroku, Sango and Kagome stared, dumbstuck, while Rin waves goodbye to Sesshoumaru. The little girl looked like she was hoping to see the demon lord again, and that alone scares everyone to the core. Sesshoumaru was cold and merciless. It was hard seeing someone—especially a human—showing so much love to such a demon.

"Rin," Kaede called, and the girl with the small ponytail on top turned to face her. "Have you eaten lunch, child?"

"Not yet," Rin said and rubbed her stomach for emphasis. "Don't worry. Rin will ask Jaken-sama and Ah-Un to accompany Rin while she searches for food."

Everyone's eyes widened at her statement. She was only a child, but she was independent to search for her own food. They could only assume that she had been living alone and had been searching food on her own all this time, or Sesshoumaru was the one that taught her to be self-desciplined. If it was the latter, then they couldn't help but admit that the Lord of the West's teachings to a young girl wasn't all that bad.

"Ah, there is no need for ye to do that, child," Kaede said and gestured for her to enter the hut. "There is food inside. You can invite the toad, too, if he wants."

As if he had heard his name, Jaken almost immediately returned to conciousness and was now looking around for his lord. Taking note of his lord's absence, his face turned into something that expressed disgust, and he stood up to brush off his outfit. He grabbed his staff and spun on his heel to head to the opposite direction of where the hut was at. Unluckily for him, Rin had tugged him by his clothes, stopping him from going anywhere.

"Jaken-sama, do you want to have some lunch?" Rin asked with a smile.

"Foolish human!" Jaken said and swatted the child's hand away from him. "I am a youkai. I don't eat what you pathetic humans eat."

"Alright then," Rin said, unfazed with Jaken's behaviour. "Rin will have some lunch then. Jaken-sama, you can take care of Ah-Un then."

Jaken only snorted, and sat beside the twin-headed dragon, who was resting on the grass. Jaken crossed his arms and started sulking, reminding the group of a certain hanyou who would mope if he doesn't get what he wants.

After Rin had disappeared into the hut with Kaede, the group decided that this was the time to discuss what was on their minds.

"Do you think Sesshoumaru would help search for Inuyasha?" Kagome asked and fidgeted with her bow.

"Well, he _did_ say he doesn't permit Inuyasha to die," Miroku said and rubbed his chin. "I believe, in other words, he won't let Inuyasha die. So that would mean he would be helping, but in his own way."

Sango noticed her friend's unease. "Kagome-chan, is something wrong?"

"I just... I don't know what to expect when Inuyasha turns human."

On Kagome's words, everyone turned their heads to look at the sky. They probably have around two more weeks to search for the hanyou before he turns human. To someone else, that would be plenty of time. But to them, with no clues or a place to search, that was a little amount of time, and time was running out. They weren't really sure if Inuyasha was still alive, but knowing that the hanyou was a tough fighter, that was the only fact that reassured them he's probably somewhere... alive and breathing.

* * *

Inuyasha hated the tears that had gathered in the corner of his eyes the moment he finished coughing. This was it. Today was the night of the New Moon, and he was going to die. If he had thought he had been weakened drastically the moment he was under this barrier, then he thought wrong. He was going to be human tonight, and he was one hundred percent sure that his human form wouldn't stand a chance bearing these injuries.

Because his human night was tonight, he felt worse than normal days. Even without feeling his forehead, he could tell that he was running a fever. His sense of smell and hearing had been reduced, which doesn't really affect him at the moment. His body seemed like it was on the verge of shutting down, but he was using every ounce of his remaining strength to keep himself conscious. Stupid weakness.

Nowadays, he couldn't even look at himself. Two weeks of this _hell_ had changed his appearance entirely. His body was skeletal and majority of his muscles were probably gone. He could tell that he had formed dark circles under his eyes due to the lack of sleep he was getting. His skin was covered in shades of purple and red hue, and it won't disappear because his healing abilities had been slowed down. Various thin line marks traced along his skin—the result of Naraku carving his flesh with a knife—and also slashes that came from that merciless whip.

Was this the end? Did those two hundred years, including him being sealed onto a tree, is wasted just like that? He was aware that Naraku was his enemy, and he could get killed while battling him, but _damn_... to die out of the torture given from your enemy... he wasn't sure if he was ever going to be in peace in his grave.

He heard the door being unlocked, and his eyes landed on the person who entered. Jikiko stepped closer to him, her face emotionless, yet there was some kind of emotion hiding beneath that face of hers. She looked down on him, and his eyes met her unreadable gaze.

"What? Does your master need more blood from me now?" he managed to croak out. He actually wanted to snap at her, but that was the most he could manage.

"You're getting weaker," Jikiko said, her eyes remained on him. "You are going to die."

Inuyasha covered his mouth while coughing, his ears automatically pinned on top of his skull. He cleared his throat and glared at her, "Tell me something I _don't_ know."

"So Jikiko was right. Your aura _has_ changed, hanyou."

Inuyasha whipped his head to where Himitsu's voice came from. She was floating towards them, her cloak swaying against the slight breeze. She lowered herself to the ground until her feet touched the floor. She bent down and inched her face closer towards him, causing him to uncomfortably loll his head back. Due to the closeness between them, he could finally see a feature of her face. He realised that her eyes were yellow. It almost fell to the colour golden, but he could tell that her eyes were a lighter shade. And the only reason why he could see her eyes under the cloak was because of the glow coming from them.

Inuyasha shoved the sorceress away from his face, or at least attempted to. It was more like putting his hand on her. He was glad that she decided to take a step back after his 'push'. Her head tilted slightly to the side, as if she was inspecting him.

"I see," Himitsu finally said. "I looked deeper into your aura and found out that your human side is taking over slowly. I believe your senses has become dull?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, only gave her a look of annoyance.

Himitsu let out a small chuckle. "If yes, then I'm assuming, the very least, tonight you will turn human," when Inuyasha's eyes widened, she added, "I know about half-demons turning weak once in a while, hanyou. But I could care less about that. Now, the matter at hand is that you're dying. I doubt you can survive with those injuries in your human state."

"Keh..." Inuyasha said and coughed. He instantly placed the heel of his hand over his forehead the moment he felt light-headed.

"Waru-sama is releasing you."

"W-What?" that sentence caught Inuyasha off guard. "You're lying... No way he would just... and Naraku wouldn't have agreed to that."

Inuyasha knew about the deal Waru made with Naraku. Naraku had explained to him in an irritatingly excited voice that if he helped Waru capture him, Waru would allow him to torture him—as long as it draws out his blood.

"Naraku's desire has been fulfilled. We have given our end of the bargain, so there is no need to pay heed to his request anymore," Himitsu explained. "Besides, since your health is almost at its lowest, Waru-sama decides that it is time to use the alternative. He doesn't want to kill you because he needs you as a test for _something_. So we will be releasing you back to your pack. We need you to be in great health for—"

There was a word that had captured all of Inuyasha's attention, "Alternative...?"

"We needed your blood because the blood of an inu-youkai is the strongest among all youkai. Since you are a hanyou, and the other demons that share the same blood as you are a full-blooded youkai, we decided to take you because you are the easiest to capture. But now that we can secure our victory, we've decided to use the alternative now."

Inuyasha's mind may be a bit sluggish, but that didn't stop him from thinking. So he had gotten half the reason why they wanted his blood. They wanted his blood because he was an inu-youkai, the one who bears the strongest blood. But he still didn't know _why_ they wanted it. Are they planning to create a powerful army or something? And if they found an alternative, then that would mean it was another inu-youkai.

He wasn't sure how many inu-youkai were left, but there was only one other inu-youkai he knows, and it's a full-blooded demon.

When Himitsu saw Inuyasha's eyes turning into large saucers, and knowing that he had figured it out, she nodded, "Yes. The alternative is your brother, Sesshoumaru."

* * *

Two weeks.

That was how long he had been—he wouldn't admit it, _ever_ —searching for Inuyasha. While crossing Inuyasha's forest _weeks_ ago, he had caught the hanyou's faint scent, along with a scent he had recognised years ago—which was Himitsu's. Not only that, but he also caught the scent of Inuyasha's dried blood on the grass. Since he couldn't detect the direction where the sorceress went, he ended up walking in a straight line, to wherever it leads him. He had been keeping an eye out for that half-breed, and his old enemy. He could tell that Waru was going to send Mouretsu soon, so there was actually no point in searching for the hanyou. He would defeat Mouretsu, and will get himself some answers about Inuyasha. All he needed to do was wait.

He doubt Inuyasha was dead. But since the New Moon was tonight, there was a possibility that the hanyou could die if the enemy attacks while he was weakened. He had seen a few times when Inuyasha was human. The hanyou was vulnerable, but he admired the strength his little brother shown during the night of his weakness. He had always seen Inuyasha hiding in the branches, eyes wide opened in case there were enemies nearby. Even when Inuyasha was weak, he had always been on high alert.

Sesshoumaru stopped walking the moment he heard the faint sound of bushes rustling. He turned his head to the side, and his eyes narrowed at the person standing a few meters away from him.

In front of him stood the body clad in armour. The only part that wasn't covered in armour was his face. Sesshoumaru hated seeing his face, and almost wished that he would cover that unsightly look. There was a smug, but it wasn't just him being cocky. Sesshoumaru knew, that the smug was because of his confidence in his own strength. And as much as he hated to admit, the demon in front of him was one difficult opponent.

"Mouretsu," Sesshoumaru said, pouring disdain in the youkai's name.

"Sesshoumaru," Mouretsu said and the smug turned into something more like a challenging smile. "How many years since we last fought each other? More than a hundred years?"

Sesshoumaru only narrowed his eyes. "Cease your stalling and get to the point."

"Cold as ever," Mouretsu stated and placed a hand over the hilt of the sword by his hip. "I remember that day crystal clear. Your father was fighting _the Mistress_ while you fought me. Speaking of your father, how is he?"

"Resting well in his grave."

Mouretsu looked genuinely surprised. "I didn't expect someone so powerful to die," he said. Then, a sinister grin tugged at his lips, "Alright, enough talking. How about you finish what you started? 'Cause back then, you weren't quite done yet."

Sesshoumaru scowled at him. He hated being reminded of his failures, but he assured himself that the mistake he made won't repeat twice. He will end Mouretsu, once and for all.

Seeing Sesshoumaru's deathly gaze on him, Mouretsu decided to taunt him further, "Oh, right. Let me show you your prize to you _if_ you win."

Mouretsu whistled, and Sesshoumaru's eyes barely widen at the sight.

In front of him stood Inuyasha, whose head was bowed and hands laid limply by his side. His hair was caked in dirt and blood. At his hip, Tessaiga was absent. By the hanyou's neck laid a sword, threatening to cut his head off in one swing. Behind him stood a youkai with a huge built—mascular arms and a fairly powerful aura. When the hanyou was ordered to look up, Sesshoumaru could tell that Inuyasha had been facing abuse and torture—just by the bruises on his face. His cheeks were hollow, indicating that the hanyou had not been eating well. Even without looking at his face, Sesshoumaru could also tell that the hanyou had gotten smaller, or thinner, just by looking at his body. His suikan and hakama may have been able to make him look like some walking cushion, but they weren't enough to cover up his now frail body.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, his voice low and hinted with slight anger. "What has happened to you?"

Inuyasha gave him a weak smile. "A lot."

Sesshoumaru could tell that Inuyasha was trying his best to stand. He may be good at hiding his pain to humans, but to him, he could see right through his body like an x-ray vision. Not only that, but now that he had focused his senses on the hanyou, Inuyasha was facing illness. Death was halfway surrounding his little brother, and there was no way he was going to survive tonight when he turns human.

"You two seem to be close to each other," Mouretsu said and smirked, facing Sesshoumaru. "Alright, Sesshoumaru, if you battle with me and _win_ , I will give the pup to you."

Inuyasha let out a humorless chuckle. "You're being stupid..." he said and added, "Do you know that you're insulting him just by giving me as a prize?"

The youkai standing behind Inuyasha kicked the hanyou right behind his legs, causing Inuyasha to drop to his knees. He grabbed the top of Inuyasha's hair, and pulled it with such force, that Inuyasha thought his hair would rip off right then. "So, what do you say, Sesshoumaru?" the youkai spoke and brought the sword closer to Inuyasha's neck, the tip almost touching the skin. "Will you accept this battle? If not, then he dies."

Inuyasha blinked rapidly, on the verge of passing out. "When will you ever learn? Sesshoumaru doesn't care... what happens to..."

Inuyasha's sentence was cut off when he let out a yelp—the moment the youkai's grip on his hair tightened. Pain was shooting through his scalp, and he almost felt like doing anything to get the pain off him.

"This Sesshoumaru accepts," Sesshoumaru answered, his tone remained impassive. But underneath the facade he played, he was furious with how his brother was treated by the lowly youkai. "It will be an offence to Father if this Sesshoumaru _does not finish what he has started_ ," he then turned to face Inuyasha. "Half-breed, I will deal with you later."

Inuyasha was forced to bring his head low when the youkai pushed his head down. His hands gripped the soil of the earth. What the hell? Why was Sesshoumaru accepting this guy's offer? He could just ignore the guy and kill him. More importantly, what did he mean when he said that he has to finish what he had started? Do they know each other? He could only assume that Sesshoumaru had met this guy before, and if he plans on finishing him, then this guy truly was worthy of his time.

The temperature around them dropped several degrees as a cold smile made its way to Sesshoumaru's lips. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Just wanna let you guys know that blood will be present in the next chapter... possibly lots of 'em. I've honestly been waiting to write the part where Inuyasha meets Sesshoumaru, because I love the two of them... even if they hate each other lol._

 _By the way, the translation for "Mouretsu"/猛烈 is "furious". I also forgot to tell you guys that I've edited the end notes for chapter three and four, explaining the meaning of Jikiko and Himitsu, and a few others._


	11. Old Enemy

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** Do you know my favourite part in writing this chapter? It's when Sesshoumaru helps Inuyasha... even though he doesn't admit it. :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 11:**

 _ **Old Enemy**_

* * *

Faster than Inuyasha's mind could even register, Sesshoumaru and Mouretsu had already launched towards each other. A strong wind blew at his direction due to the two demons' fast movements. The breeze sent Inuyasha's hair swaying violently behind him, and he had to cover his eyes with his arm from the dust particles that were flying at his face. When he lowered his arm to get a better view, Mouretsu's face already had a few burnt marks, and a green whip was visibly coming out from Sesshoumaru's hand.

Mouretsu touched the part where the flesh on his face stung. "Damn... Always hated that whip of yours."

"It is unfortunate then," Sesshoumaru simply replied and swung his hand, moving his whip at Mouretsu's face for the second time.

Mouretsu foresaw the attack and leapt out of harm's way, and continued to do so as the inu-daiyoukai kept sending the poisonous whip. He smirked, liking this challenge. He had always loved the battle with Sesshoumaru, and was glad the fight with the demon lord was his last... before he was placed under a seal. Even when he was in his slumber, he couldn't stop thinking about the battle with Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru _may_ have beat him, but that doesn't mean he had lost. The fact that he was here, fighting Sesshoumaru again, proves himself that he was not fully defeated by the demon lord. And this time, he was determined to change the outcome. _He_ was going to defeat Sesshoumaru, and earn the title of defeating the so-called overpowered inu-daiyoukai.

But the blissful thinking lasted only for a few seconds. Mouretsu frowned when Sesshoumaru continously aimed his whip at him. If they were going to battle like this before he is able to use his... _ability_ , then Sesshoumaru might be able to defeat him first. Sesshoumaru's whip could be used in a long range, meanwhile, the only attack he could use on Sesshoumaru was with his sword. He _had_ been able to withstand Sesshoumaru's whip centuries ago, but that was only because he had _the Mistress_ to assist him in buying time to charge his power. But now... It seemed that he would have to make Sesshoumaru draw out his sword, even if he had to use... dirty tactics. If Sesshoumaru uses his sword, then he could buy himself some time, and have the chance to use his power once it's ready.

Mouretsu landed a few meters away from Sesshoumaru, and placed a hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip. He withdrew his sword and pointed it towards Sesshoumaru. "Let's fight with our swords, Sesshoumaru. For old times sake."

Sesshoumaru stared at him for a while, his face a cold mask. "This Sesshoumaru will fight however he wishes to."

"Come on, Sesshoumaru. I can tell that your sword is different than the one you used before. It has a strong aura," Mouretsu said and sighed. "Don't make me force you, Sesshoumaru," he said and his eyes landed on Inuyasha.

 _What is he—_ before Inuyasha could finish his thought, a hand slammed his head to the ground. For a moment, he could see a flashing white, before stars were dancing in his line of vision.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "You are willing to hurt a defenseless person in order to get this Sesshoumaru to do as you wish? It is unbecoming for a warrior of your calibre, Mouretsu."

But Sesshoumaru was internally weighing his options. If Inuyasha were to receive another hit, he would most likely pass out. Worst case scenario, Inuyasha dies from the injuries, depending on how hard they hurt him. His brother's death was something he wouldn't allow. Even if he hated the whole of Inuyasha's existence, and had threatened to kill the half-breed a few times, that doesn't mean he would allow some lowly youkai to do it. Inuyasha's life was in _his_ hands, and that means _he_ would decide whether to end it or not. Allowing the hanyou to die by another would not be an option.

He _could_ grab his brother and throw him somewhere away from the enemy's reach, but the problem was that the youkai guarding Inuyasha, and the hanyou himself, was standing behind Mouretsu. No matter how fast he could be, Mouretsu's speed was something he couldn't take lightly. By the time he was halfway to reach his brother, Mouretsu will see his plan and stop him. At last, he descarded the idea of getting his brother away from the enemy.

He sighed internally. He hated doing as Mouretsu had told, because he _knew_ what the youkai was planning, and it would give the youkai an advantage. But he was the Lord of the West, and losing wasn't a choice. No matter how he fights, he will still find a way to win. Sure, doing as he was told was something that wasn't in his character, but losing wasn't either. So, having to swallow a bit of his pride, he retreated his whip back into his hand and unsheathed Tokijin. It earned him a pleased grin by the youkai in front of him—much to his disgust.

"Wise choice," Mouretsu said glanced at Inuyasha, who was just about to push himself up into a sitting position. "Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that you _do_ care for your brother."

Sesshoumaru didn't answer. But in his head, he was planning to give Mouretsu a slow, torturous death for his impudence.

Without even a single indication that they should start their battle, the two of them leapt forward, clashing swords and creating another strong wind.

By now, the stars in Inuyasha's vision had disappeared, and he was now witnessing Sesshoumaru battling Mouretsu with his sword. He blinked in confusion. What the hell happened after he got knocked on the head? The last thing he remembered was Mouretsu asking for Sesshoumaru to draw his sword and—

He stopped thinking the moment a wave of nausea hit him. He lurched forward, covering his mouth in an attempt to stop himself from vomitting. Luckily for him, he was able to prevent himself from throwing up... for now. He leaned back and took deep breaths, trying to push the contents of his stomach down where it belongs. This was not the time to become sick. Sesshoumaru was fighting, and he was sitting here acting all weak. He had to do _something_. He could try and use Blades of Blood at the youkai guarding him, but he doubt that the attack would do more than a scratch. He had to wait until he has enough strength to form a stronger attack that would actually do damage.

While Sesshoumaru was swinging his sword, he caught the scent of vomit threatening to escape Inuyasha's lips. He looked at the hanyou through the corner of his eye, while some of his attention was still on the youkai in front of him. Inuyasha had become a lot paler and the smell of death was stronger than before. Not that he cares about the half-breed, but if he allowed his brother to die in his presence, then it would mean he had failed Father.

Mouretsu must've noticed that his full concentration wasn't on him, because he paused for a moment and glanced at Inuyasha. A smirk tugged at his face, "What's wrong, Sesshoumaru? Worried?"

Sesshoumaru's cold exterior was the only thing keeping himself from snarling at the insolent demon. Mouretsu was the one that requested him to use his sword, and even tried to harm Inuyasha in hopes to get him to do it. And now, he had the audacity to taunt him. It was truly unforgivable.

"You will face the consequences for your actions, Mouretsu," Sesshoumaru said.

Mouretsu was caught off guard by Sesshoumaru's change of speed. The next thing he knew was that Sesshoumaru had already landed his sword on him at several places. Blood gushed out of his arm, thigh, cheek, and his abdomen. He had to create some kind of distance between Sesshoumaru in order to stop his body from receiving any more damage. If he allows this to keep up, there was no way he was going to survive.

He looked at Sesshoumaru, and realised that the demon lord's youki was flaring. For some reason, Sesshoumaru was pissed at him. Could it be that Sesshoumaru _does_ care about Inuyasha? If he does, then he has a good way of hiding it, because he couldn't tell a thing by the impassive mask he was displaying.

Mouretsu's eyes widened when he felt it. _Finally_. He scanned his body, and let out a chuckle. All of a sudden, the injuries that he received from Sesshoumaru were starting to fade. He had bought himself enough time to finally use the ability.

Sesshoumaru scowled at the youkai in front of him, knowing too well what it meant. He had known that using his sword to fight Mouretsu would've allowed the youkai to do this, but he could care less. The only reason why the youkai was still breathing until now was because of that irritating ability. Besides, if he had been able to beat him back then, the result would still be the same for now. Still, it would mean things had become very troublesome.

"I've lost once, even though I was able to use this power," Mouretsu said and inspected his now healed injuries. "But that was because I was careless."

Inuyasha watched in confusion. Even when he felt light-headed, he still heard Mouretsu's statement. His eyes then fell onto Sesshoumaru, who looked like his patience had run thin. Man, and he thought his existence was the only thing that annoyed Sesshoumaru to no end. He could feel his brother's youki crackling, and it was in a matter of time before he transforms.

The two of them attacked each other again, and clashed swords. Inuyasha watched as Mouretsu begin swinging his sword towards Sesshoumaru, and his brother dodged it swiftly. But there was something wrong here that Inuyasha could detect, even in his weakened state. He might've been imagining it, but his brother had become slightly slower, and Mouretsu all of a sudden was becoming faster. He really wanted to have more thought on this, but the condition of his head wasn't allowing him to.

"So, how do you feel, Sesshoumaru?" Mouretsu asked in a mocking tone, not noticing the fury expression that had momentarily slipped out of Sesshoumaru's facade. "I have to say... you have gotten stronger. Even if I had started stealing _your_ youki, you're still able to catch up to me."

Mouretsu was too quick for even Sesshoumaru to realise that the youkai had swung his sword towards his only arm, sending blood splattering on the ground. Sesshoumaru landed gracefully, away from the youkai, and examined his injury. It was something that he could ignore, though, he felt distasteful that his pristine white robes were now covered with his own blood.

Inuyasha had just blinked and the next thing he knew was that Sesshoumaru's blood was already on the ground. What just happened? More importantly, was what Mouretsu said was true? Was he really stealing youki from Sesshoumaru? If it was true, then this was going to be a problem. Sesshoumaru's youki was... well... he could say that it was unlimited. Sesshoumaru was probably the strongest being to exist after their father died, and knowing that a youkai has the ability to steal other's youki, that's not good.

The hanyou flinched a little when Sesshoumaru's eyes landed on him. The inu-daiyoukai was sending him a weird look. He may have not been able to read his brother's emotions ninety percent of the time, but right now, it seemed that his brother was saying; _stand back_. Okay, so maybe his fever _was_ getting to him and making him see things. Nonetheless, he forced himself to move a little further away from the two battling demons. The youkai who was suppose to guard him—now standing beside him—doesn't seem to notice that he was moving. The guy was just staring at Sesshoumaru and Mouretsu, captivated in their battle.

Sesshoumaru's head turned to face Mouretsu, and he lifted his Tokijin. "Sou'ryuuha."

A blue light appeared, before thunder was sent down onto the earth. Mouretsu cried in agony as Sesshoumaru's attack hit him, drawing blood from parts of his flesh. The youkai who was standing beside Inuyasha had to take a step back, afraid that the attack would also hit him. Luckily for him, it seemed the attack was only directed to Mouretsu, because all the lightning landed solely on him.

The blue light disappeared, and Mouretsu fell to his knees. His armour was chipped because of the lightning, and he was panting due to the multiple injuries he had received. But even with the attack from Tokijin, he was still able to stand up, wiping blood that rolled down at the side of his lips.

A mirthful chuckle escaped from Mouretsu. "Man... That sword is _way_ stronger than the one you used on me last time," he said, and grinned when all of his injuries, once again, disappeared. "Unfortunately, you're just wasting your energy on me. In fact, I'm surprised you can still manage to form that kind of attack even when your youki is slowly draining. You truly are the son of Inu no Taisho."

Sesshoumaru visibly exhaled. As much as he hated to admit it, Mouretsu was right. He felt himself starting to become weary, and he had no idea how much attacks he could form before his demon side would be forced to take control of him. Even when his youki was getting stolen, his youkai would still react and take over when it realises that his youki was too low. And at that moment, Mouretsu wouldn't stand a chance, because his youkai was merciless, and it would only take a few seconds to end him. But shifting into that form—because his life was in danger—has its consequences. His youkai may be strong, but it wouldn't be able to tell the difference between enemy and foe, and Inuyasha might end up getting killed. And that would make all of his efforts useless.

Sesshoumaru interally shook his head out of his thoughts. He decided to pay no attention to Mouretsu's words, and continued to attack him. Inuyasha could tell that his brother was running out of time. He had to do something. He slowly turned his head to the youkai that was supposed to guard him. The youkai was too distracted to notice that he was even looking at him. Inuyasha flicked his fingers. Now was the time to attack. Even if only a little of his strength had returned, his attack would be strong enough to kill the youkai.

With the slightest movements, Inuyasha crept closer to the youkai, his eyes always paying attention to the youkai's face in case the youkai had noticed. Once he had gotten the closest distance he could manage, Inuyasha dug his claws into his own shoulder, drawing blood, and throwing crimson blades at the unsuspecting youkai, "Hijin Tessou!"

Mouretsu was aware that Inuyasha had moved closer, and tried to warn the youkai, but it was too late by the time he shouted, "Yasei—!"

He watched as the youkai, Yasei, collapsed to the ground. He let out a disappointed sigh. That youkai had _one_ job, and it was to watch the pup, not watch him battle.

Inuyasha felt another wave of nausea hit him the moment he sent his attack. Great, his shoulder was bleeding, and his strength was close to zero. He wouldn't be surprised if the next thing he knew was that he had blacked out. He looked up, and found himself staring at Mouretsu dumbly, as the youkai was approaching him. His mind was yelling him to move from danger, but his limbs wouldn't obey. He could only watch as Mouretsu extended his arm, and he had to close his eyes to brace whatever the hell the youkai was going to do to him.

He expected for Mouretsu to grab his hair or kill him or something, but it never came. He lifted his eyelids and found Sesshoumaru swinging Tokijin at the youkai, and Mouretsu narrowly dodging it. He hated, yet secretly grateful, that his brother had somewhat saved him—even though he knew that his brother didn't do it for his sake. He wished he could at least attack Mouretsu and not being so useless, but his body wouldn't make it possible.

His head lolled forward as he felt himself slowly starting to lose consciousness, and the next thing he knew, he was already lying on the ground.

He blinked a few times, laying still. He scolded his body for not moving, and tried to get up. But at one point, he was already facing darkness.

* * *

As much as Sesshoumaru wished that he could lie down like his brother, he couldn't. His body had become incredibly slow, and it was in a matter of time before his youkai takes over. His eyes flickered to the ground covered in red. The reduce in his speed had given Mouretsu the opportunity to land a few hits on him, and now, the whole ground was layered with mostly his blood.

"Just give it up, Sesshoumaru," Mouretsu said with a smug and held his sword over his shoulder, deciding to end the inu-daiyoukai first, then handle the pup. "I had always been stronger than you. You were just lucky on our previous fight. But now, it seems your luck ran out."

Sesshoumaru knelt onto one knee, and he closed his eyes as he felt his youkai roaring to assist him. He hated when his youkai takes over, because, one, that means he would not be in control, and two, that also meant he had received severe injuries. His eyes then travelled to Inuyasha's lying form. If he were to allow his youkai to take over, then there's a chance that Inuyasha might get killed. He wanted to just rub his temple in frustration at having to figure out another solution.

There was one thing he could try. After his youkai had killed Mouretsu, he would have to immediately take over again. He wasn't sure if it would be possible, but that was the only thing he could come up with.

Mouretsu, who wasn't aware of the inner turmoil Sesshoumaru was facing, misinterpreted that Sesshoumaru's position right now was something that admitted defeat. A broad grin took over his lips and he lifted his sword over Sesshoumaru's head. "It had been a pleasure battling with you, Sesshoumaru- _sama_ , but I win."

All of a sudden, Mouretsu was overwhelmed by the sudden burst of youki flowing out from Sesshoumaru's body. He took a step back and stared in disbelief. Impossible! Sesshoumaru's youki should've been down the drain right now, but that wasn't the case for this situation. His eyes widened when there was crimson in Sesshoumaru's eyes. Could it be that Sesshoumaru allowed his youkai to take control? Even if his assumptions was true, how did Sesshoumaru still have youki left?

Mouretsu didn't have time to fully comprehend the situation, before he felt his blood splattering out of his torso. He clutched his chest and finally realised that Sesshoumaru was already right in front of him, swinging his claws. Sesshoumaru's speed right now was on a whole new level, because he didn't even see the daiyoukai moving.

He had to do something, and fast. His ability could suck in more of Sesshoumaru's youki, but it would take a long time before it weakens Sesshoumaru. Besides, there was too much youki flowing out of the inu-youkai, that his ability couldn't possibly suck all at once. This was bad. He couldn't die. He had given a second chance to finally defeat Sesshoumaru, and _this_ was how it was going to end?!

No, he couldn't die.

He had to win.

He had to—

His vision blurred, and suddenly, the world tilted and he no longer sees a thing.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had detached Mouretsu's head.

His enemy had never been as strong as him. If he had transformed a century ago, Mouretsu would've died the moment he landed his eyes on him.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to the last youkai breathing—which was a hanyou. His mind craved for more blood to be spilt, so the half-breed would have to do. As he stepped closer towards the unconscious form, he felt his dominant planning to take over him once again. He wouldn't allow it... not until he killed the last one.

He reached the hanyou's body and stared at it for a while. He was craving to shed more blood, but there was something wrong at the idea of killing this hanyou. He took a few sniffs and found out that this hanyou was his kin. He mentally shook his head at the idea of ending this hanyou's life. The inu-youkai clan were close to extinction, and there was no need to speed up its process.

His crimson eyes widened when he heard the faintest whimper coming out of the hanyou. The sound was so low, that it would've been inaudible to those without enhanced hearing. When he took in the hanyou's scent again, he realised that the pup was sick. He growled in disapproval.

 **Pup is sick.**

 _Yes_ , he heard his dominant answer inside his head. _Now, you will allow this Sesshoumaru to take over again._

 **You will heal pup?**

He received a very hesitant, _Yes._

The youkai inside Sesshoumaru gave a pleased growl and allowed his dominant to take over. Slowly, Sesshoumaru could feel himself gaining control, and soon, he was no longer swimming in the vision of red. He stared down at his brother and gave a look of repugnance. It seemed that _he_ has to bring his brother back to the village.

Reluctantly, Sesshoumaru used his only arm to lift Inuyasha. Now that Mouretsu wasn't stealing his youki anymore, his strength returned and he had enough to hold the hanyou up with only one arm. His eyes widened slightly as he felt Inuyasha's body radiating immense heat. This was bad. The fever had worsened while he was battling Mouretsu, which means Inuyasha's human side would be taking over very soon.

Before Sesshoumaru could leave, he heard the bushes rustle, and out came the sorceress he had not seen for a long time. He narrowed his eyes. He had no time in dealing with another in his brother's critical state.

Noticing the hostility coming out of Sesshoumaru, Himitsu said, "Calm down, Sesshoumaru. I am not here to fight."

"Then what is your purpose here?"

"I have come to return your brother's sword," Himitsu said, and to prove her point, she called a servant.

A young female came and showed Sesshoumaru his brother's sword. She was aware that full-blooded demons couldn't touch it, so she asked, "I... W-Where shall I place it?"

"In its scabbard," Sesshoumaru said and turned his head to look at Tessaiga's sheath at Inuyasha's hip.

"Y-Yes..."

Taking only a small amount of time, the female was able to place Tessaiga back into it's sheath. She then took a few steps back, until she was right beside Himitsu.

"You are dismissed," Himitsu said and the servant bowed, before she disappeared. Himitsu looked at Sesshoumaru and a small smile appeared under her hood, which Sesshoumaru couldn't see. "My actions does not mean we are no longer enemies, but it is useless to keep a sword that we could not use."

"But it would be wiser to keep the sword in order to prevent your enemy from using its power," Sesshoumaru said, his voice hinting suspicion.

"Trust me, that sword would not be able to defeat what comes next," Himitsu simply said and tilted her head in order to inspect the unconscious hanyou. "Unless it is the Inu no Taisho that wields it."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond.

Himitsu sighed and looked at the hanyou in Sesshoumaru's arms. "Are you not going to treat his wounds? He is dying."

Sesshoumaru took a few seconds to stare at his brother before answering, "This is not over."

"You're right, it's not," Himitsu said and turned around. "Expect a few days of peace. After that, you will either finish your father's battle, or the Western Lands shall fall."

Knowing that Himitsu doesn't go against her word, Sesshoumaru decided that now was the time to leave. Using his energy, Sesshoumaru created a green sphere around his body, and soon, his brother and himself were in the air, flying at a rapid speed back towards Kaede's village.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I feel so relieved to finally finish writing this chapter. The battle scenes were hard to write, and I tried to keep details at its minimum, because for me, I would prefer seeing the battle in pictures than in words lol. Anyway, sorry for delaying this chapter a bit. I had writer's block and was stuck somewhere. But no worries, I was still able to finish it._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **Wfest:** Haha, I'm glad I was able to build up the suspense.

 **Skighler:** Ah, I'm happy that you're enjoying this story!

 **roseeyes:** I hope this chapter satisfies you. :-)

 **Guest:** No problem, and thank you for reading it this far!


	12. Return

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 12:**

 _ **Return**_

* * *

Eyes under her hood, Himitsu watched as Sesshoumaru transformed into a ball of energy, before taking off into the sky. She then flicked her gaze towards the scene in front of her. There, lied Mouretsu whose head had been detached. If this had happened hundreds of years ago, she would've been mad. But now, she felt satisfied that he was finally dead. It served him right for not giving her the slightest of gratitude for breaking his seal and transferring her magic into him.

Her eyes then roam to the blood splattered on the ground. Just by seeing the blood, she could tell that almost most of them were Sesshoumaru's. It was hard to believe that all of those were the demon lord's blood, but it was possible with Mouretsu's special ability. She extended both of her arms, and all of the inu-daiyoukai's blood disappeared without a trace. It was done. They finally had enough to complete their goal.

"I'm surprised how easily you let him go."

Himitsu whipped her head to where the voice came from, and relaxed her tensed shoulders when it was only Jikiko. The puppeteer was giving her a look of curiousity, and at the same time, glancing around her surroundings.

Jikiko's voice wasn't the usual soft whisper. This time, it was cold, deeper than normal, and had a sharp tone. Himitsu knew that if it wasn't the soft voice she was using, then this must be her other personality.

"What do you mean?" Himitsu asked, referring to Jikiko's statement.

While staring at Mouretsu's deceased body, Jikiko answered, "I thought you wanted that hanyou as your victim for trying out your spells. Why did you let him go?"

"Oh," Himitsu said, and sighed. "I _did_ want him at first, but after Naraku had broken him, I lost my interest in having him."

"Hm," Jikiko said and shifted her gaze from Mouretsu, to the scenery ahead of her. "Did we have enough?"

"The blood?" Himitsu questioned, and Jikiko gave a barely noticable nod. "Yes, it's enough."

"Good," Jikiko said and turned around, her long blonde hair swaying in the process. "Let's return."

* * *

Kagome bit her lip as she subconsciously tapped her fingers on the wooden flooring. Shippou was standing right in front of her, pacing left and right; his patience long gone.

The night of the new moon was tonight, and her friends still hadn't returned. Sango and Miroku had instructed her to stay here, in case Inuyasha returns with Sesshoumaru. They knew that it was a slim chance that Sesshoumaru would bring his hanyou brother back, but still, it wasn't impossible. What made her more anxious is that in an hour, the sun would set and Inuyasha would turn human. If Inuyasha hasn't return, then... then she could only hope that Inuyasha isn't dead on his human night with his kidnappers.

"Kagome-sama, Rin is sure Sesshoumaru-sama would save his brother," Rin said, trying to sound hopeful. "So... don't worry, okay?"

"Thank you, Rin-chan," Kagome said and turned her head to Jaken, who snorted.

"Foolish human," Jaken said and sat straight up from his leaning position. "There's no way Sesshoumaru-sama would—"

"Sesshoumaru-sama has returned," Kaede informed, after sensing a powerful demonic aura.

Just as Kaede's words had left her mouth, the flap of the house had been pushed aside, and in came the said demon lord. In his hands lied Inuyasha, who was unconscious to the cries of his companions.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed and felt like she wanted to just hug him, but knew better than to do that while he was in Sesshoumaru's arms. Instead of doing what she wanted, she quickly laid out a mat with a pillow, allowing the demon lord to place the hanyou down. Once settled, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as she took in the hanyou's current state. "Inuyasha..."

He looked so frail, as if he could snap in half with one powerful grip. She knew that under that gaudy outfit, it was barely more flesh than bones is what's left of her hanyou. His now pale face was also covered in bruises. They must've starved him and beat him. Instantly, she placed her forehead on top of his chest, allowing the tears to flow freely down her cheeks.

Shippou was also crying, and Kaede had been given the task to comfort him since Kagome was currently occupied with the hanyou. Shippou clenched at the fabric of her hakama, sobbing silently at the sight of his adoptive father. Meanwhile, Rin was close to tears, but didn't shed them. Jaken only frowned, with his head bowed, knowing better than to make a comment about the hanyou.

Sesshoumaru was the only one who seemed unaffected by the emotional display. Irritated that none of them were aware that his brother was actually facing illness, he interrupted, "Miko, he will die if you do not tend him."

At that moment was when Kagome felt the heat coming from Inuyasha's body. She immediately flinched when she felt as if her forehead was burnt. Her eyes blinked at the hanyou, before it widened. Inuyasha has a fever, and here she was crying and doing nothing to treat him. She wanted to slap herself for not paying attention to Inuyasha's health first. She mentally shook her head, wiping the tears with the sleeve of her school uniform, and was set with a new feeling of determination.

Kaede, who somewhat felt the determination radiating off from Kagome, immediately stood up to grab the right herbs she had previously gathered, for Inuyasha's fever. While she was on her way to brew the tea, she ordered, "Kagome, get a cloth and a bucket of water. Also, remove his suikan and kosode. It's possible that there are injuries that needed to be treated."

Kagome nodded and took the bucket, before dashing outside to retrieve some water from the river. Once she was back, she wasted no time in setting the bucket down, and taking off Inuyasha's suikan. While moving Inuyasha into a sitting position, she noticed that Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jaken were gone. She didn't have time to think where they have went, and resumed with her task. A feeling of worry appeared at how easy she was able to position Inuyasha; due to his light weight, and she gently removed his suikan and kosode. When the top of his kosode was lowered, Kagome gasped at the thick red lines on Inuyasha's back and chest. There were also thin lines, which she hoped that it wasn't a knife they had used.

Noticing that blood wasn't coming out from those injuries, but still felt the need to patch it up anyway, she grabbed the ointment from her first aid kit. By now, Shippou had calmed down and was now helping her to tend Inuyasha. The kitsune brought her some bandages, and she muttered a hasty thanks. She started wrapping Inuyasha's torso with the bandages, careful not to make it too tight. The sight of Inuyasha's ribs protruding kept reminding her to be extra gentle.

After everything had been done, Kagome slowly set Inuyasha's head down onto the pillow. She could tell that in a few more minutes, Inuyasha was going to turn human, and she could only pray that his human side would survive the fever he was having.

She flinched when Kaede's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Here, give this to him," the old miko said and handed her a cup of water. "It might help reduce his fever."

Kagome nodded, and once again, moved Inuyasha into a sitting position by supporting the back of his head with her arm. She moved the cup to his lips and allowed the liquid inside to slowly enter his mouth. She immediately pulled back the cup when Inuyasha started coughing. When the coughing was over, only then she continued to give him the rest of the tea. Unfortunately, he was still unconscious after the coughing, and she laid his head back onto the pillow to allow him to rest.

When Shippou moved to her side, she saw that the kitsune was staring at Inuyasha with a deep frown. Uncomfortable with the silence, she decided to give him encouraging words. "Don't worry, Shippou-chan. Inuyasha will make it."

"It's my fault."

Kagome blinked, then her brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If I had told Miroku and Sango that Inuyasha's scent was off, we would've been able to still track him down," Shippou said and clenched his fists. "Yet, I... I didn't even make a comment about it, thinking that everything was okay. I'm such an idiot."

"Shippou-chan, it's not your fault," Kagome said and started stroking his orange hair. "There are a lot of times when things are off, and we assumed that it's okay. That means you were confident that Inuyasha had won."

"Yeah, but look what happened because of that."

Kagome didn't know what else to say. Luckily for her, Miroku and Sango had returned, the two of them panting due to the exhaustion of their search. When both of their eyes landed on the hanyou in front of them, their eyes turned into large saucers.

Sango gasped. "Oh my god..."

Miroku swallowed the thick saliva that had gathered inside his throat. "Oh Buddha."

Kagome gave a half-hearted smile. "Sango-chan, Miroku-sama. Sesshoumaru found Inuyasha..."

"So he really did bring Inuyasha back," Sango said, her voice in between of sounding grateful and sad.

"Does he have a fever?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Kagome said, surprised that the monk knew even without touching the hanyou.

"I could practically feel the heat from here," Miroku said, and sat with his legs crossed. "I am grateful that he has returned, but I wished that he had returned in a... much better state," he said and sighed. "But now, I wish that he would survive his human night, because I believe it is not long before he transforms."

As if the whole world heard Miroku, Inuyasha's silver tresses shifted into the colour of obsidian. His face turned a lot paler, and by the whimpers he was giving, they could tell that he was in a lot more pain; now that he was human. Kagome dipped the cloth she had taken a while ago into the bucket of water, rinsed it, and pressed it on top of his forehead. His eyes were shut tighter than normal, and his hands were clenched. They could only stay by his side, watch him as he fought an internal battle.

* * *

His body felt painfully hot. It was the only thing he could think of in the dark abyss. He found himself in a very uncomfortable position, and he was desperate to search for that one comfortable spot. But no matter how many times he shifted, his body was still on fire.

He could feel the darkness going away, and was relief that at least one of his wishes were granted. Soon, he heard a muffled voice, but couldn't make out a thing he or she was saying. As he felt himself slowly gaining conciousness, he started to wonder what he had missed. He was sure that something bad had happened today, and remembered that he wasn't suppose to sleep in the first place. He tried his hardest to think of the events that happened earlier, but his mind showed nothing. Maybe he was thinking too hard about this. He slowed down his thoughts and soon, some of his memories returned one by one. He was tortured, he was brought to a battlefield, and...

His eyes shot open and his voice cracked as he shouted, "Sesshoumaru—!"

But two things happened when he shot himself into a sitting position. One, he realised that he was no longer viewing a battle, and was now inside a hut. Two, a wave of nausea hit him and this time, he couldn't hold in the vomit that threatened to get out.

Fortunately for him, Kagome was fast enough to grab a pail, and with no hesitation, the contents of his stomach were discarded. Shakily, his hands moved upwards to hold the pail himself, and the throwing up lasted a while. Once he felt like everything inside himself was gone, Kagome brought the pail away, putting it aside.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, as she pushed some of his hair out of his face. "You alright?"

No, he wasn't alright, but he'd be damned by the time he admitted it. Throat felt like he had caught it on fire, he struggled to speak, but only managed to croak out, "Need... water..."

In one quick motion, Kagome returned with a glass of water, and he drank all of it in quick gulps. His throat was still burning, but it felt less painful than before. At least the pain was bearable this time.

"Do you want some more?"

Inuyasha shook his head. His voice wavered when he asked, "What happened?" And now only he realised that his hair had already turned black. He let out a humourless chuckle. "Great, just... _great_."

Kagome offered him a sympathetic smile, knowing too well that he hated being human. "Sesshoumaru brought you here. He—"

Kagome was interrupted when Inuyasha coughed and made a choking sound. "W-What?"

"You heard me," Kagome said, and sighed. "We were really worried about you Inuyasha. When I returned, I found out that you had already been captured for five days. Ever since then, we've been searching for you. Do you have any idea how desperate we became, knowing that... that anything could've happened to you?"

"Keh, you don't have to worry about me," Inuyasha said, and his violet eyes went downcast. "It's just... been a few weeks..."

"Yeah, and look at what they did to you!" Kagome almost shouted, grateful that she remembered at the very last second to lower her voice; because everyone else was sleeping. Tears were threatening to spill again as she said, "We were lucky they only managed to do _this_! What if they cut off a limb? Or... Or... What if you never returned at all?!"

"I would've never let that happened," Inuyasha muttered, though there was doubt in his voice. He placed a hand over his head when he felt dizzy. He noticed Kagome's water-filled eyes, and instantly decided to change the topic to not upset her further. "Where... Where's Sesshoumaru?"

"While you were unconscious, he's been sitting outside. Don't know if he's still there," Kagome answered, her low voice.

"How long... have I been out?"

"It's almost sunrise."

Honestly, even though he was relieved that he was going to turn back into his hanyou form, he still felt weak as ever. The barrier that suppressed his demonic energy, plus his human form, did nothing to help him regain his strength. It was a miracle that he even managed to survive this long. He noticed that he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would feel; not that he wasn't feeling worse enough. He guessed that Kaede must've given one of her medical tea to help him.

Eyelids drooping, Inuyasha felt drowsiness taking over. His head lolled forward multiple times, and he tried his best to stay awake, at least until sunrise. He turned his head when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder, and found Kagome giving him a concerned look.

"You should rest more, Inuyasha," Kagome said, and when Inuyasha was about to argue, she raised her index finger. "No excuses. Don't make me force you."

Eyes already half-lidded, Inuyasha nodded before laying his head down on top of his pillow. He hated wasting time like this; sitting around and doing nothing, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. He closed his eyes and fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

It had been three days since he had returned with his brother to the village. He had been informed that Inuyasha had stayed up longer when he first regained consciousness, talking with the miko, before falling back to his unconscious state. Since then, the half-breed's consciousness had been in and out. The old miko, Kaede, had explained to him that even if Inuyasha had turned back into his hanyou form, his brother still needed rest. She said it had something to do with Inuyasha's demonic energy being suppressed for too long, and that his youki was now returning very slowly.

Right now, Sesshoumaru was sitting under a tree near the hut, watching Rin chase his retainer. He was starting to grow impatient at the fact that he had to delay his talk with the half-breed. If Himitsu and Mouretsu hadn't gotten his brother involved, he wouldn't have bothered waiting for his brother to wake up. But since they did, it seemed he had to do the one thing he hated; waiting.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken said as he panted, beads of sweat rolling down his green forehead due to the chasing. "M-May I ask you a question, my lord?"

"What is it, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said, making it clear that he was irritated.

"Um... why are we waiting for that half-breed to wake up? We have nothing more to do here..."

Sesshoumaru considered knocking out the toad; not wanting to explain to Jaken his intentions, but decided that the action might be a little too harsh for a mere question. Thankfully, before he could tell the toad to cease his talking, the monk had saved him the effort by approaching them. The monk gave him a slight bow, and when he raised his eyes again, the daiyoukai could tell that there was something he was hesitating to say.

"You will tell this Sesshoumaru your purpose here, monk," Sesshoumaru said, his eyes narrowed.

Miroku bit his lip, before finally answering, "Inuyasha is awake."

Without having to say anything else, Sesshoumaru stood up from his position, and started heading towards the hut.

* * *

"Inuyasha, how are you feeling?"

Inuyasha glared at Kagome. Every time he wakes up, all of his group members would ask the same thing. He had been answering that he was fine, but none of them seemed to believe it, and kept repeating the question. Still, knowing that they were only concerned about him, he nodded.

This time, he woke up not feeling like he would pass out any second. Even if his injuries are almost healed, only half of his youki had returned during his three days of rest. While he was in and out of his consciousness, his friends tried to feed him each time he was awake. Unfortunately for them, they only had time to make him drink something before he became unconscious again. He also noticed that they kept throwing quick glances at his body, and he wished he had his suikan. He felt embarassed that his body had gotten so... thin during his capture.

Everyone in the hut whipped their heads to the direction of the entryway when Sesshoumaru entered. The demon lord had an unreadable facial expression, and none of them knew whether to move out of the way, or remain where they were.

Inuyasha looked at his older brother and his brows furrowed. His first instinct was to become mad, but if what Kagome had said was true; that his brother _did_ brought him back here, then it would be wise not to piss Sesshoumaru. It must've taken his brother a whole lot of willpower not to kill him, and who knew how much longer his brother could take before he ended up going on a killing spree.

"Whaddaya' want, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked, trying his best not to sound annoyed.

Sesshoumaru stared at him for a while, before he raised his head to look at the others inside. "Leave us."

"No," Kagome and Sango said in sync, before Kagome continued, "Who knows what you're planning to do to him."

"Foolish ningen," Sesshoumaru said, and a shiver ran down Kagome's spine at his intensive gaze. "If this Sesshoumaru wanted to kill the hanyou, he would've done so the moment he defeated Mouretsu."

Kagome didn't know who the heck was Mouretsu, but she did know that Sesshoumaru was right. But the problem was that, what Sesshoumaru intends to do with Inuyasha often changes. Sometimes, Sesshoumaru walked away even if he had encountered Inuyasha. Other times, he was about to rip off the hanyou's throat. His behaviour towards Inuyasha changes faster than her mood swings. Could he blame her for not trusting him?

"Don't worry Kagome, I'll be fine," Inuyasha reassured, and shrugged. "Besides, if he _does_ plan on killing me, he could just do it right now."

Knowing what Inuyasha said was true, Kagome took a deep breath, and nodded towards the hanyou. She gathered everyone else in the hut, and they all exited to wait outside. Once Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were left alone, Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at his younger brother.

Face emotionless as ever, Sesshoumaru narrowed his amber eyes. "We have something we need to discuss, half-breed."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** So I imagined Jikiko's voice here sounding like Hakudoshi's voice. I know that Hakudoshi is a boy, but I'm pretty sure his voice actor is a girl. And yes, thank goodness Inuyasha survived the night. I can't wait to write the next chapter, because we're going to have some "brotherly" talk. Hope you enjoyed this chapter._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **veetree03:** No problem! And thank you for continuing to read it.

 **Skighler:** I'm glad that you were able to imagine the fighting scenes. I learned not to add too much detail, because some stories do that, and I wasn't able to imagine what was happening. And yes, I have to agree, Inuyasha being in danger is the best. In fact, Inuyasha in danger is what I live to write. Can't believe we have the same interest. xD

 **roseeyes:** I've seen a few times in the anime that Sesshoumaru helps Inuyasha. It soothes my soul that Sesshoumaru shows that he does care, but it sucks that he'll never admit it lol.


	13. Brotherly Talk

_**A/N:** If any of you have noticed, I changed some of the chapter titles. And important news; starting from 2018, I will update Bloodshed every two weeks. I'll be much busier next year, so I might not be able to update every week. Sorry for having to delay the next update._

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

 _ **Brotherly Talk**_

* * *

"We have something we need to discuss, half-breed."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "You're right, we _do_ need to discuss about somethin'," he said, and pointed his index finger directly at Sesshoumaru's face. "First of all, I don't know what the hell happened back there, but Mouretsu must've hit your head pretty hard if it you brought me back here. Either that, or you need somethin' from me."

"It is most likely the latter," Sesshoumaru answered coolly, and sat on the floor with his legs crossed, back straight. "You will answer this Sesshoumaru's questions."

Inuyasha took a moment to glare daggers at his demanding brother. For just a second, he had thought his brother had actually... _cared_ about him. He knew, and was reminded again not to get his hopes up. He should've known that the only reason why Sesshoumaru would save him was because he needed something. Taking a deep breath, he fought the urge to yell at his brother. As much as he hated to admit it, he kinda _owe_ Sesshoumaru for bringing him here. Sesshoumaru could've just left him and find some other way to gain what he wanted, but he didn't.

"Fine," Inuyasha muttered, eyes going downcast. "What do you wanna know?"

"Names of people you've seen during your capture, and the reason why they took you."

Inuyasha thought for a moment. "There's Himitsu, Jikiko, Naraku, Waru," he said, and remembered what Himitsu had told him. "And Himitsu told me that they took me because they needed some powerful blood or somethin'."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. If the enemy needed powerful blood, then most likely they would search for an inu-youkai, or someone who has Inu no Taisho's blood running through their veins. From the names Inuyasha had given, they were all the names he had heard from the weak youkai he had previously battled; minus Naraku. He wasn't sure how Jikiko and Waru got into the picture—since he only dealt with Himitsu and Mouretsu in the past—but he could guess what they were planning to do with Inuyasha's blood. If his assumptions were true, then it would be best for him to stay outside of the village.

All of a sudden, Inuyasha asked, "Why are you so interested?"

He didn't answer immediately. "Why I'm interested is none of your concern."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, there's somethin' I'm missin' here," he said, and crossed his arms over his crossed legs. "They took _me_ , so why are _you_ gettin' information about them?"

Sesshoumaru contemplated whether to answer his brother's question or not, and decided that he would go with ignoring it. Standing up, he turned his back against Inuyasha, and motioned to exit the hut.

Inuyasha needed answers, but with Sesshoumaru leaving, there was no other way he would get them. He had to stop his brother from leaving, but he wasn't sure if he was fast enough to get up. But then, an idea hit him. All he had to do was eat a bit of Sesshoumaru's pride, and the demon lord would instantly come back... to kill him. Well, consequences be damned.

"Wait, are you planning to take revenge for me because you _care_ about me?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk, successfully halting Sesshoumaru's steps. He shook his head, and placed a hand over his chest for dramatic effect. "Sesshoumaru, I didn't know that you even had it in ya."

Sesshoumaru slowly, and eerily, turned his head to the side, his face now looking at the half-naked form of his younger brother. "You are foolish if you think I care for a hanyou like you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, how do you explain the part where you literally _saved_ me? And don't try to say that it's because you needed somethin' from me, 'cause I know you can always search for answers somewhere else," he said, and his smirk turned into a taunting grin. "Or is it too hard for ya to admit that you just care?" To piss his brother off even further, he even repeatedly twitched his ears.

Faster than Inuyasha could see, Sesshoumaru was already kneeling on one knee, his arm extended and grabbing the back of Inuyasha's head, earning the inu-daiyoukai a startled yelp. His grip on his brother's hair tightened as he pulled Inuyasha's head slightly backwards. His words were venom when he said, "I will never save an abomination like you, half-breed. If I did, then consider yourself lucky, because I needed something from you. But now, I already have what I needed."

"O-Oh yeah?" Inuyasha's voice wavered as the pain from the back of his head was becoming almost unbearable. "No matter how I look it, you s-still saved me."

Sesshoumaru snarled. "The only reason why I saved you was only because I needed to know about my enemies. They had fought me and Father in the past, and it seemed our battle was left unfinished. Do you understand the reason now, half-breed?"

Yup, he had managed to get the answer now; in a painful way. So... it looked like Sesshoumaru and Father had battled these people before. It was no wonder Sesshoumaru was interested. Still, was Sesshoumaru going to search for each and every one of them? It was possible, but Inuyasha could only imagine the difficulty of it, since one was a sorceress, and the other one was a puppeteer... He wasn't sure about Waru's abilities, though.

Sesshoumaru finally released the grip behind his skull, and he rubbed the growing ache from it. Gods above, if he had known that his brother would aim for his hair, then maybe he would've consider whether or not to piss his brother off.

"You just _had_ to aim there, didn't you?" Inuyasha mumbled, his hand still rubbing the back of his head.

"It will serve you as a reminder the next time you are impudent to this Sesshoumaru," Sesshoumaru said, and stood up from his kneeling position. He scowled at his younger brother, "You are fortunate that you are in no condition to fight, or Tokijin would've sliced that throat or yours."

"Yeah, yeah... I think I learned my lesson now," Inuyasha said, and the hand he used to rub the back of his head fell onto his lap. "So... it seems we'll be fightin' the same enemy."

"You are not involved in this battle, Inuyasha. Moreover, you are in no condition to fight. I have spoken with Himitsu, and she had informed me that our battle will be in a few days."

"Keh! I can get my strength back in a few days, don't underestimate me."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, as if silently praying to the gods to hopefully maintain his composure. There was a slight strain in his voice when he said, "You will not get involved, Inuyasha. This is between me and Father. You are not even aware of who you are dealing with."

"Let me remind you that they captured _me_ , took _my_ blood, and—I forgot to tell ya—but Himitsu told me that the reason why they released me is to test me for somethin'. I never had the chance to hear the end of her sentence, but she said somethin' like I needa' be in good health for... _somethin'_. If only I knew what she was gonna say..."

While Inuyasha was busy muttering to himself, Sesshoumaru understood what Himitsu was trying to tell Inuyasha, even if the sentence was cut off midway. Now that his brother was telling him this, it confirmed his theory.

Noticing the look Sesshoumaru had, Inuyasha asked, "If you have somethin' to say, spit it out."

"This Sesshoumaru owes you nothing, half-breed."

"You don't want me gettin' involved, but it's clear that they're plannin' to do somethin' to me. If I don't know what the hell is goin' on, then how on earth am I suppose to avoid it?"

Perhaps, maybe it would be better if he informed Inuyasha the enemy's intentions. That way, the half-breed wouldn't be ignorant to any surprise attacks. "Listen well, Inuyasha, for I will not repeat myself."

Inwardly grinning like a kid who was able to convince his mom to buy himself some candy, Inuyasha nodded, his face betraying nothing of his inner emotions.

"Hundreds of years ago, Father and I battled a group of three; Himitsu, Mouretsu, and Koukatsu. Koukatsu was the leader, and she planned to take over the Western Lands. They were a powerful group even if their members only consisted of three. Fortunately, Father and I managed to beat all three of them. Father defeated Koukatsu, while I defeated Mouretsu and Himitsu," Sesshoumaru said, and his amber eyes narrowed into slits. "But this Sesshoumaru had made an error. After defeating Mouretsu and Himitsu, I did not bother to make sure they were dead. Assuming that they were still alive, but barely, the villagers completed my task by requesting monks and priestesses to seal them inside a cave, including Koukatsu, even if she was dead. I heard nothing about them since then, until this very day."

Inuyasha didn't expect Sesshoumaru to tell him the story from the beginning, but he guessed that there was something related in there that needed to be said in order for him to understand what Sesshoumaru thinks is happening.

Sesshoumaru continued, "I am unfamiliar with the name Waru and Jikiko, nor do I know how they had gotten themselves involved, but I assume that they were the ones who broke the trio's seal."

"Maybe," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "But I still don't get why they needed my blood."

"My theory is that they are planning to resurrect Koukatsu," Sesshoumaru said and stared at his younger brother. "To resurrect someone, you will need a large quantity of blood that is compatible with the body, the dead person's body, and a soul. But only someone skillful with sorcery can only accomplish this, for I have heard that this is a very complex spell."

Inuyasha realised that this was different than Kikyou's resurrection. This was _really_ bringing someone from the dead, and making them breathe again. They could've just used a jewel shard, but he guessed that either they don't have one, or Naraku just didn't share with them.

"So originally, they plan on sending someone—someone who had fought with _Father_ —to attack me?"

"If they seek vengence, then most likely, they will hunt down for this Sesshoumaru instead of you."

"Uh-huh," Inuyasha said and propped his chin with his hand, placing his elbow on top of his leg. "You sure you can handle them alone?"

Sesshoumaru gave a smile... a smile that would've frightened the whole of Japan. "Are you showing concern for this Sesshoumaru, little brother?"

"Hell no!" Inuyasha shouted, backing away slightly at his brother's creepy smile. "I don't care what happens to you. In fact, you can die for all I care!"

"Hm," Sesshoumaru hummed, slightly amused. He then turned around, his hair swaying behind his back. "Then our discussion is over. I no longer see the need to remain here."

When Sesshoumaru left, Inuyasha processed everything that had been said. First of all, he was amazed how his brother did not kill him during their talk. Secondly, it seemed that Sesshoumaru didn't want him fighting these enemies, because it was originally his enemies. If he jumped into battle, then he would only interfere. But if he left Sesshoumaru to fight them, then it makes him look like he couldn't handle his own enemies.

But then another thought came. Sesshoumaru only had business with Himitsu and Koukatsu; since Mouretsu is already dead. Meanwhile, Jikiko and Waru had no connection. Inuyasha smirked to himself. Maybe he could deal with his enemies... at least half of them...

* * *

Sesshoumaru exited the hut, his face stoic. He didn't expect his claws to lack his brother's blood when he came out. He imagined at first that he might at least draw a little of Inuyasha's blood during their talk, but it seemed the will to harm his younger brother was unappealing at the moment. Could it be because of his youkai showing mercy to Inuyasha's injured state? Sesshoumaru mentally snorted at the thought of it. Nonetheless, he had gotten what he needed, and it was time to move on to his plan.

The irritating humans noticed that he had left the hut, and were now rushing inside to check on the hanyou. Rin was talking to Jaken, and the old miko was now approaching him. Since he finds the miko to be toleratable, he acknowledged her presence by shifting his gaze towards her.

"Are ye planning to leave, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kaede questioned.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered briefly, and glanced at Rin and Jaken. "The two of them shall remain here until I return. You will continue your task in caring for Rin's needs."

"As you wish, my lord."

Giving a curt nod to the miko, Sesshoumaru turned his head when he heard the annoying screech coming from his retainer. It took everything not to immediately kick the toad out of the village. "What is it, Jaken?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please take me with you!" Jaken wailed, tears flowing down his eyes like a waterfall. He sniffed and used his tiny hands to clutch the fabric of his hakama. "I cannot stand another day in this village—"

With one swing of his leg, Jaken was already sent flying towards Inuyasha's forest. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, getting rid of the annoyance he was feeling, and reopened them. He noticed that the old miko had a faint smile, her head facing to where Jaken had flew.

Without another word, he left.

* * *

Himitsu hummed as she finished drawing a full circle with a piece of chalk. She snapped her fingers, and a man with a huge built carried in a lifeless body. She pointed towards the floor, and silently, the man placed the dead body in the middle of the circle. Himitsu waved her hand in dismissal, and the man immediately left the room.

"Is it done?" she heard Waru's voice asking from behind her.

"Patience, my lord," she replied, and extended both arms from under her cloak. "It'll soon be done."

This was finally it. They had waited a year for this, and all preparations were done. It was thanks to Waru that she was able to break her own seal faster than she had anticipated. Once he had released her seal, everything became so easy from there. She was a sorceress, so breaking the Mistress' seal was nothing. It was Mouretsu's seal that had taken ages to break. The monks and priestesses who sealed them were aware that Mouretsu was a powerful youkai, so they decided to make his seal tougher to break.

Now, the only thing left was to say the words, and the Mistress would be resurrected. When she's alive again, they can finally proceed to their _real_ goal. Waru had been a great asset in making this happen, and it won't be long before his role in this would be over. A cold smile took over her lips as she started chanting the words.

There was a cauldron beside the circle; filled with the hanyou and Sesshoumaru's blood. While the words were chanted, the blood inside magically flew out of the cauldron, and started swirling around the dead body. The pale corpse glowed, and the skin turned into something a bit more tanned. Himitsu saw this, and proceeded with the next step.

"You'll need a soul, right?" Waru asked and called for a servant, who had willingly offered her own soul. "She shall lend you the last ingredient."

Himitsu was silent, before she responded, "There is no need for that, Waru-sama," she said, and her head turned to face Jikiko, who had been staring at the ritual in silence. "Jikiko."

Jikiko, who had long changed back to her quiet self, stepped forward. She looked up, her blue eyes staring emotionlessly at the sorceress.

"What?" Waru asked in confusion. "Jikiko is a powerful puppeteer, there is no need for her to sacrifice her own life."

"Ah, that's when you're wrong, my lord."

Himitsu chanted some more words, and soon, Jikiko's blue eyes dulled, until it turned blank. Waru tried to stop Himitsu from doing this, but the sorceress paid no attention to him. Instead, she continued with the ritual, pouring life into the soulless body.

Finally, the body, who was once a dead corpse, moved into a sitting position. She fidgeted with her plain yukata and stared at the people who were surrounding her. Then, a smile graced her lips.

Angrily, Waru shouted, "What is the meaning of this, Himitsu?! There was no need to waste Jikiko's life!"

Himitsu stared at him, a bored look taking over her face. "Have I not said that you were wrong in implying such?"

"Himitsu," Upon hearing her name being called, Himitsu turned her head to the woman sitting in the circle, and gave a low bow. The woman nodded approvingly, and stood up. She looked at Waru, "It seems we have no use for him any more. He is at your disposal."

"Yes... Koukatsu-sama."

"W-What?!" Waru yelled, and glared at Himitsu. " _I_ broke your seal, Himitsu. You are indebted to _me_. I order you to cease this nonsense and continue with what we had planned."

"Waru- _sama_ ," Himitsu said, her voice mocking at the honorific. "Jikiko is never alive to begin with. She was just one of Koukatsu-sama's puppets. For years, Koukatsu-sama poured her soul into Jikiko as a precaution. If anything happens, her soul would still be alive. So when Koukatsu-sama died, she was able to control her soul in Jikiko. Hence, the multiple personalities Jikiko has."

"But that's impossible!"

"It is difficult, not impossible," Koukatsu stated coolly. "Though, I have to admit, even after pouring my soul into that puppet for more than ten years, it is only equivalent to a small fraction of my soul."

"No," Waru said, in a commanding voice. "Know your place, Himitsu. You owe me, and now, you will assist me in my plan."

Internally, Waru was panicking. This was bad. He can't afford having Himitsu turning her back on him too. Naraku had already left him the moment he found out that he released that hanyou. Although Naraku left without harming him, he still saw the fury in the black-haired youkai's eyes. But Himitsu... there was a chance that she might actually attack him.

Himitsu let out a humourless chuckle. "I don't owe you anything, you foolish youkai. You may have broken my seal, and you have done it easily too, but it was only because I had done the difficult part that you were able to do so. Even if you had not come, I would've eventually break myself out anyway."

Before Waru could argue some more, Koukatsu interrupted, "Himitsu, I believe you have told me once that you wanted to end _your lord_?"

"That, I have said."

With one wave of her hand, Waru was already lying on the ground, all the life in him were gone. She had always wanted to get rid of him. He had been nothing but demanding; asking her to do this and that as if she was a servant. But now that his body was no longer alive, it left her a satisfied feeling.

Koukatsu ran a hand through her long, blonde tresses. She sighed, "It's a shame Mouretsu is dead. Oh well, looks like we'll just have to do him a favour then."

Himitsu knew that internally, the Mistress could care less what happened to Mouretsu. Mouretsu, and even herself, had sworn to do whatever it takes to help the Mistress, and if that comes with the price of dying, then they would gladly take the offer.

"Come now, Himitsu," Koukatsu said, as she spun on her heel to exit the room. "I need a few days of rest to restore my power. Don't allow anyone to enter my room, because in the span of those few days, my soul will grow to fill inside this body, and I will be at most vulnerable."

"Yes, Mistress."

"By the way, what was Waru's plan? While I was inside Jikiko, I wasn't able to hear his conversation with you."

Koukatsu couldn't see Himitsu rolling her eyes from under her hood. "I have no idea why he only told me about his plan, but it was to make you fight with the hanyou. He said he wanted to test your abilities on him first."

"The hanyou, eh?" Koukatsu said, and chuckled. "Well, he's quite fortunate at the moment, because my priority is to battle with Sesshoumaru. But after battling that arrogant daiyoukai..." she tilted her head upwards and tapped her chin, "maybe then I'll fight the hanyou. We'll just have to see."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Inuyasha was close to facing that poison whip of Sesshoumaru's, but hey, somehow he managed to still survive. And yeah... Waru died just like that. We also know that Jikiko isn't really a person, but a puppet with a fraction of Koukatsu's soul._

 _Since Waru is dead, the translation for "Waru"/悪 is "evil". Although, not really the main evil villain here, but he still did a lot of evil things. And the translation for "Koukatsu"/狡猾 is "cunning"._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **roseeyes:** Even though he stayed at the village because of his brother, he'll most likely claim the reason is because of something else. :D

 **Skighler:** If I post the stories that I had written in the documents, you'll notice that everything bad mostly happens to Inuyasha. I guess... something's wrong with me, because I love Inuyasha, yet I make him suffer. Or maybe I'm just... _evil_...


	14. Puppet Master

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 14:**

 _ **Puppet Master**_

* * *

"Inuyasha, are you okay?!"

Inuyasha whipped his head to the doorway of the hut, where all of his friends enter at once. For a second, he felt claustrophobic that the hut was filled with people in a blink of an eye, but his heart soon managed to calm down, and he found himself enjoying their company.

To answer Kagome's question, Inuyasha answered with a smirk, "Alive and breathing."

"We were worried that Sesshoumaru might hurt you," Sango said.

Inuyasha waved his hand nonchantly. "Dunno what's wrong with him today, but it seems that killing me wasn't on the top of his list," he said, and his face grew serious, "But we got a problem."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Miroku said, and asked, "What's the problem?"

"I _may_ know the reason why they wanted my blood," Inuyasha said, and subconsciously scratched the base of his ear. "It seems they wanted to resurrect this dead enemy that my dad once fought. They need blood that supports the body they're resurrectin', so they took blood from me."

"But why you?" Kagome asked, her eyes gazing at Inuyasha's golden ones. "Why can't they just get another demon's blood? Surely you weren't the only one who has blood that... supports the body?"

"Because he's an inu-youkai..." Miroku said, his eyes unfocused, but was aimed at the floor. He lifted his head to look at Inuyasha. "You are also the son of Inu no Taisho. Which means, they were aiming for someone that bears a powerful blood. If they were aiming for someone who holds powerful blood, then the enemy they're resurrecting—"

"—is a powerful one, yeah," Inuyasha finished, and sighed. "They didn't attack Sesshoumaru 'cause they knew it would be close to impossible. So instead, they chose me as an alternative."

"But what did you and Sesshoumaru talk about? What does Sesshoumaru have to do with this?"

"My dad fought these enemies with Sesshoumaru. So now that he knows about his enemies bein' alive, he wants to end them... _again_ ," Inuyasha said, and crossed his arms. "Arrogant jerk doesn't let me fight them—said that I'm not involved—but I could care less with what he said. They took me, so I'm gonna make them pay."

"Um... yeah, sure," Kagome said her eyes visibly looking at his body's state. She gave him a smile; a smile that almost looked sympathetic. "But, um, maybe you should eat first?"

Inuyasha wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be worried about his body's current condition. But instead, he flushed when his stomach growled—so loud, that it caused everyone in the hut to look at him with those concerned expressions. Right now, he felt somewhat exposed with each and every pair of eyes on him. Okay, _so what_ if his ribs were protuding and he looked so skinny that the wind could blow him away? It wasn't his fault that he didn't eat enough while he was captured.

Thank goodness Kagome went to his folded suikan and kosode, picked it up, and gave it back to him. Quickly, he put on his clothes.

"I'll make ramen, okay?" Kagome asked softly, as if she was talking to a child.

Her tone was suitable with the person she was talking to, because Inuyasha, indeed, acts like a child.

"Keh, whatever."

* * *

Everyone watched as Inuyasha ate his fifth cup of instant ramen—in a record time of five minutes. They were glad that he was eating, but at the same time, they were worried. How much food had they given to him while he was captured? Well, judging by the size of his body at the moment, they could tell that it must've been only enough for him to stay alive. He was eating like a starving child, which made Kagome say yes each time he wanted more food.

He swallowed the last piece of noodle, and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his suikan. He hummed in satisfaction, and placed the empty ramen cup next to the others. He wanted more, but frowned when he remembered that Kagome was out of ramen.

Seeing Inuyasha's appetite and dejected look, Shippou felt like he was responsible for what had happened. Standing on his tiny feet, he walked over to Inuyasha, offering his cup of ramen, "Here."

Inuyasha blinked in confusion. "You sure? I've eaten like five already."

Shippou nodded with a faint smile. "Trust me, you need it more than I do."

"Uh... thanks, I guess," Inuyasha said, and gave the kitsune a crooked smile. He took the ramen and started devouring it.

Shippou headed over to where Kagome was sitting. He sat beside her, and crossed his legs. He watched as Inuyasha happily finished his cup of ramen, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. He looked up when he felt someone touching his head.

"I'm so proud of you, Shippou-chan," Kagome whispered, and patted the kitsune. "You shared your ramen with Inuyasha, even though you knew that it was the last one."

"It can't be helped," Shippou answered with a low voice. "I want Inuyasha to be healthy as soon as possible."

Kagome wanted to tell the kitsune that ramen wasn't exactly healthy, but she decided to tell him another day. She glanced at Inuyasha when she heard a slurping sound, and found him emptying another cup of ramen. The hanyou placed the empty cup aside, and looked disappointed again; unaware that she was watching. From the way he was acting, she could tell that he was still hungry. Poor guy was probably starving back there.

"Inuyasha, do you want to head back to my time with me?"

The two appendages on his head perked up, and his brows raised. "Why?"

"Well, we're out of food, and I can tell that you're still hungry. So why not go to my time and get some more?"

His ears flattened as he crossed his arms defensively. "Keh, I'm not _that_ hungry."

She could tell that he was lying just by how his ears were positioned on top of his head. "Are you sure? I'm gonna get more _ramen_ ~" she teased.

His ears perked up again, and she found him willing to follow. She laughed, and waved goodbye to her friends. Hastily, she took her yellow backpack and motioned towards the well before Inuyasha was able to offer his back to her. It wasn't like she doesn't want him to carry her, it's just that he looked so frail at the moment, and she didn't want to be the cause of his spine breaking. She looked to the side, and observed as his eyes roamed at their surroundings. The way he looked right now was so child-like. She knew better than to say it out loud, but it she ever had the opportunity, she would've said that he looked extremely cute.

* * *

Himitsu had been true to her word. It had been a few days since he left the old miko's village, and now he found himself wandering at an unfamiliar land. To someone afar, they might think that he was walking aimlessly. But in truth, he was actually looking for the most suitable place to battle. He knew that Koukatsu and Himitsu would somehow find him, so all he had to do was wait until they decide to attack him. Even if they plan for a surprise attack, it wouldn't be enough to defeat him.

He stopped when he heard the slightest of sounds. In one swift motion, he turned around and found himself facing a floating cloaked figure. Himitsu. His eyes narrowed as a chuckle escaped from the said figure.

"Are you ready to finish our battle, Sesshoumaru?" she said, and her head tilted to the side. "It seems you didn't bring your brother with you. Are you that confident that you will beat us alone? Let me remind you that it was the Inu no Taisho that battled the Mistress."

"Hn," Sesshoumaru said, unamused. He looked around. "Cease your talking, sorceress, and reveal yourself, Koukatsu."

"Sesshoumaru."

A woman sitting on a floating cloud, cross-legged, greeted him. The cloud lowered, until her legs were inches above the ground. She was wearing a floral pink kimono, her waist wrapped with a golden obi. Her blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, and it swayed under the gentle breeze.

Sesshoumaru's voice was devoid of emotion when he spoke, "Koukatsu."

"Missed me?" she questioned, and chuckled when his face remained stoic. "Well, I won't miss you when you're gone. In fact, I can't wait for the moment when I defeat you. When you're dead, I'll find your brother. I'm not sure whether to end him or enslaved him—oh, but giving him to Himitsu would be good too... But when I'm done with him, only then I'll take over the Western Lands. How does that sound?"

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything but unsheathed his sword. He had always hated useless chatter. This woman may have big dreams, but it will forever remain unachieved. He will prove it once he made sure that she no longer draws any breath.

"You're so boring, Sesshoumaru," Koukatsu mumbled, and snapped her fingers. "If you want to fight so much, then, be my guest."

With one snap of her fingers, thousands of Koukatsu's appeared, and Sesshoumaru could instantly tell that they were merely puppets that looked like her. This had always been the way she fought. He remembered how his father fought her. Father had to fight each and every one of her puppets in order to search for the real one. It was frustrating, because the puppets would keep attacking, and it would be hard to figure out which one was real and fake.

Letting out a sinister laugh, Koukatsu disappeared, and the puppets started attacking him with their nails. Koukatsu's nails could expand about six inches, and it would be as sharp as a knife. And as expected, the puppets' nails grew, and they all striked at him in sync. Unfortunately, their speed were no match with his. But with so many attacking at once, it was almost impossible to tell where they were attacking.

While he was focusing on getting rid of each puppet, and at the same time dodging their attacks, he had never once lowered his guard with Himitsu. Even if his eyes were trained onto the puppets, he made sure to keep an eye on the sorceress; who was floating above him. He suspected that she was waiting for the right time to attack, but he wouldn't allow it.

* * *

Himitsu kept herself fully entertained as she watched the Mistress' puppets attack the inu-daiyoukai. It won't be long till Sesshoumaru couldn't keep up. There were thousands of those puppets, and at one point, his strength would at least be halfway drained. She would use that moment to strike him with her magic. For now, she would charge her power.

Her eyes darted around the many puppets. Even she herself had no idea which one was the real Mistress. The Mistress was definitely the most talented puppeteer. She was able to create this many puppets in span of a few days. Not only that, but she was also able to put her own scent in each of the puppet, making it hard for Sesshoumaru to detect which one was her. They might actually have a chance in winning this time. Sesshoumaru is not the Inu no Taisho, and his strength isn't even close to his father, so it was possible that they would defeat the demon lord.

Abruptly, she flew out of the way the moment a green whip was sent towards her direction. Only her hood was blocking anyone from seeing the shocked expression on her face. She snapped her head to the side, and found herself locking eyes with Sesshoumaru.

"How were you able to—"

She looked down, and found the puppets staring blankly upwards. That's right... The puppets couldn't fly.

She dodged the poisonous whip again, and backed away from the floating inu-daiyoukai. How could she have forgotten that Sesshoumaru could fly too? She definitely had to keep reminding herself not to compare Sesshoumaru with his younger brother.

"Even if you're able to fly, then I'll just make all the puppets fly," Himitsu announced, and waved her hand. The puppets immediately started to float. "Let's see if you can dodge this, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and started dodging the attacks from the now flying puppets. Himitsu moved further away from the demon lord, and forced herself to calm her breathing. For a split second, she thought she was going to die with Sesshoumaru's close promixity. The look he gave to her just now was something that promised death, and she did not expect it to look so scary on his expressionless face.

 _Calm down_ , she thought and exhaled deeply. _We're prepared for this._

* * *

The puppets proved itself to be very irritating—almost as irritating as Jaken. Sesshoumaru imagined each puppet as Jaken, and a snarl made its way to his indifferent facade. He swung his whip, and managed to slice five heads at once. Though, even if he could get rid many at once, his efforts were pretty much useless. They just keep on coming. If he allowed this to continue, his youki would be drained again. It wasn't as if he had any objections with his youkai taking over by then, but with _so_ many puppets still alive, who knew how much youki it would take to get rid of all of them?

He closed his eyes and continued lashing his whip at the puppets. As he attacked, he made sure to use as little energy as possible. Using Tokijin consumes more energy than when he uses his whip, so he had decided a while ago to sheathed his sword and use the poison running through his veins.

He flew away when his instincts were kicking in. The moment he was out of the spot he was previously floating, lightning striked. He lowered himself and landed gracefully; his feet slowly touching the ground again. His face gave away none of the emotions of fury he was feeling right now.

Himitsu had decided to attack with Koukatsu's puppets, which means he had to put twice the effort.

"Didn't know you could dodge that, Sesshoumaru," Himitsu said from above, her voice evident that she was smiling. "But you wouldn't have survived this long if you weren't able to dodge such a mere attack."

One of the puppets managed to pierce their nails right through his abdomen a few seconds after he landed. Blood soaked from where the hand pierced, and he swiftly ended the puppet in one spin. His face twisted into a disgusted expression at his now blood-soaked clothes—and this wasn't the first time. Still, the injury was too small for him to even care that it was bleeding.

He heard Himitsu muttering something under her breath. As he was about to dodge another attack from a few puppets, his eyes barely widened when he heard a voice he did not expect around this time.

" _Kaze no Kizu_!"

He halted his movements and stared what laid upon him. In front of him, the Wind Scar had wiped out around fifty of those puppets. He flicked his gaze to where the attack had come from, and found his younger brother wielding Tessaiga.

That little imbecile. What was _he_ doing here?

"Oi, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha called, a cocky grin on his face. He swung Tessaiga over his shoulder and scanned the battlefield. "Looks like you need some help."

Sesshoumaru took a moment to examine his brother's state. Inuyasha looked better than when he had last seen him, but he still looked awfully skinny. But his brother's condition wasn't enough to cover up his already building rage.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, making sure that he sounded emotionless when he said that. He continued with a clipped, "What is your purpose here?"

"What else am I here for? I'm here to fight."

He narrowed his eyes, "This isn't your fight, Inuyasha. You are only interfering. Leave."

Inuyasha swung Tessaiga towards a puppet that tried to attack him. "Well, too bad _big brother_ , 'cuz I _am_ involved. If I gotta remind you that they took _my_ blood, then I'll do just that. But let me tell you that this isn't the time," he said and blocked some puppets that tried to stab him, "So how about you just accept that I'm gonna fight?!"

"Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru heard someone call.

Sesshoumaru did not realise that Inuyasha's companions were also here. He honestly could handle this alone, but now that his brother was here; whether he liked it or not, he might as well he use this opportunity to actually take down his enemies. He unsheathed Tokijin and started swinging them towards the puppets.

"So," he heard Inuyasha say from behind him, "where do ya need me to attack?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not need help from the likes of you," Sesshoumaru said and pierced Tokijin at one of the puppets. He looked up and found Himitsu waving her hands; already planning to release another of her spell. "Attack the puppets."

"Keh, knew you need my help," Inuyasha said to himself; his voice sounded smug. His sentence was audible to Sesshoumaru, but the daiyoukai showed no sign that he heard. Inuyasha lifted Tessaiga, " _Kaze no Kizu_!"

Sesshoumaru launched himself towards Himitsu's direction. To defeat Koukatsu, it seemed that he have to end her troublesome sorceress first.

* * *

This had not been according to plan. Although there was already a possibility that it would happen, but she didn't expect everything to be like this. She had miscalculated. With the hanyou's companions, it would give Sesshoumaru enough advantage to win this battle. But this wasn't over yet. While the daiyoukai was so busy attacking the puppets, she had already been charging her power, and now it was ready to be used.

She moved to the side as soon as she felt a powerful aura flying towards her. A grin stretched on her lips when she found Sesshoumaru's anger barely suppressed. Oh, they had done a fine job in annoying the demon lord to this extent.

"I didn't know your brother would end up helping," Himitsu said, slowly retreating her hand under her cloak. "Don't you think it's a bit dangerous for him to fight in his very fragile state?"

A cold smile made its way to Sesshoumaru's stoic face. "Inuyasha is more than capable to handle some mere puppets."

Unexpectedly, Sesshoumaru swung Tokijin her way, causing her to bend her back a bit so that the sword wouldn't hit her. Sesshoumaru was serious if he decided to use his sword; which wasn't good. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have her own tricks under her sleeves.

"Do you think this is the end for me, Sesshoumaru?" Himitsu questioned.

"This Sesshoumaru does not think otherwise."

"That is unfortunate then."

She chanted a spell in a foreign language, and the sound of thunder could be heard. All of a sudden, lightning started striking; planning to aim her enemy.

Each time a lightning tried to strike Sesshoumaru, he would already be at another place when it hits. Himitsu frowned. Even if her lightning was fast, it seemed that Sesshoumaru was faster. A slow smile made its way to her lips. If she couldn't aim for him, then she'll just have to aim for the second on top on her list.

"Too bad your brother isn't like you," Himitsu said, and pointed her finger to Inuyasha and his friends. "I heard that the hanyou would sacrifice his life just for the sake of those pathetic humans."

* * *

Sesshoumaru glanced down, and found his brother pushing away the miko before lightning was able to strike down on her. But for the price of moving that woman out of the way, a puppet used this chance to pierce his brother's shoulder. Blood oozed out from the injury, and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha's weakness for caring about his friends. Unfortunately, it couldn't be helped. Inuyasha has a human heart inside of him; which prevents him from being selfish.

Himitsu chuckled, and Sesshoumaru put his focus on her again. "Aren't you going to help your little brother, Sesshoumaru? Unlike you, he saves people."

"Inuyasha will not die," Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly. "However, you will," he lifted his sword, "Sou'ryuuha."

Blue sparks formed, and a giant dragon made out of lightning appeared. The dragon locked its eyes with Himitsu, and it flew right to her direction. Seeing the dragon made out of lightning, the sorceress tried to flee as fast as she could, but her speed lost towards the dragon's. She screamed in agony when lightning surrounded her, and soon, her body dropped from the sky, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

Sesshoumaru lowered himself, until his feet met the ground. He took a few steps forward, and stared down at the limped body in front of him. He could hear her breathing becoming slower, and concluded that she was in a barely alive state. This time, he was not going to repeat the same mistake. He lifted Tokijin, but before his sword hit his target, he heard her final words.

"Your brother..."

The sword moved towards her head, quickly detaching it. He sheathed his sword and turned his body to look at Inuyasha. His eyes widened slightly when he saw a tiny figure approaching his brother at a really fast pace.

On full speed, he moved across the battlefield to stop whatever the small figure was about to do, but he was too late. The figure—which was a child with blonde hair—had already touched Inuyasha, causing his brother to freeze. Sesshoumaru watched as his brother's golden eyes were glazed, and soon, Tessaiga was aimed directly at him.

"My, my," Sesshoumaru looked up and found Koukatsu floating down on her cloud. She stopped just beside his younger brother, her hands stroking his silver hair. "Look what we have here..."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Yup, can't wait to write the next chapter. -laughs evilly while rubbing both palms-_

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **roseeyes:** I read some fanfics that wrote this alpha/beta thing, but I honestly have no idea what it is lol. Guess I'll have to try and search it up later. But I'm glad you like that part. And another person who loves seeing their favourite characters getting tortured? Fanfiction just keeps getting better. Never will I ever regret joining this site.


	15. Draw the Curtains

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 15:**

 _ **Draw the Curtains**_

* * *

While surrounded by her friends, Kagome continously filled her arrows with her spiritual powers, and aimed them at the hundreds of identical puppets. Her arrows were able to take down at least three at once, and that was good enough for her. The only thing that she was worried about was what she was going to do after she runs out of arrows. She wasn't sure how she would be useful by then, but for now, she focused on her task to get rid all of these puppets.

Near her, Sango and Miroku were using their own weapons to destroy the puppets. Sango was flying on Kirara; dealing the puppets on air, while Miroku was sucking a lot of puppets with his Wind Tunnel. He often took breaks, and when he does, he uses his ofuda as an alternative to fight the puppets. Overall, the puppets weren't that strong. But with _so_ many attacking at once, it was hard to sit down and take a break.

All of a sudden, she felt a powerful and malicious aura. It was moving so fast, that it didn't give her time to identify what it was. Miroku must've noticed it too, because he was looking at the same direction where she was looking. She saw a figure approaching them in the distance, and she squinted her eyes to get a better look at it. Her eyes widened when it was the puppet master Jikiko. She was flying fast towards Inuyasha's direction.

"Inuyasha—" Kagome tried to warn while turning around, but she was too late. Her eyes widened when the blonde girl had already touched him.

She watched as Inuyasha's hand—with Tessaiga—fell limp. His golden orbs dimmed, and she didn't like the way he was looking right now. She turned her head to the side when she saw Sesshoumaru landing in front of his brother. Her jaw slightly dropped when Inuyasha pointed Tessaiga at Sesshoumaru. What was going on? Why was Inuyasha pointing his sword towards Sesshoumaru? Could it be that Jikiko was controlling him?

"My, my," she heard a feminine voice. She looked up and found a woman—about her height—sitting on top of a cloud. The cloud lowered, and the woman stepped forward towards Inuyasha. Her pale hand reached out and stroked the hanyou's silver tresses. "Look what we have here..."

"What have you done with Inuyasha?!" Kagome shouted.

The woman acknowledged her with an annoyed look, but then, a smile graced her lips. "He is under my manipulation. You see, I'm a puppet master. Controlling puppets is what I do," she said, and her eyes were casted onto Jikiko. "I remember you meeting my puppet. She once let the hanyou go, did she not?"

"Wait—a puppet? But isn't Jikiko a real living being?"

"You have mistaken," the woman said, and chuckled lightly. "It's a long story, but I am the one who created her. And her purpose..." she tilted her head to face Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru, what are you going to do now? The life of your brother is in my hands."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the woman, but didn't say anything.

A grin made its way to the woman's lips. She glanced at Kagome, who was looking at Inuyasha with worry, and her grin became wider. "You," she said, earning Kagome's attention, "You love this hanyou, don't you?"

Kagome's cheeks were slightly flushed by her comment, but rage overpowered her. She pointed her arrow towards the woman. "Release Inuyasha."

"I don't think it's wise to point that arrow to me. You might hit the hanyou instead," the woman said nonchantly, and pointed her index finger towards Kagome. "However, _this_ will be fun to watch. Hanyou, attack the—"

Kagome gasped when a green whip flew towards the woman's direction. Unfortunately, the woman was fast enough to move out of the way, and much to Kagome's own horror, Inuyasha motioned directly in front of the woman; taking the blow instead.

* * *

Words can't describe how furious Sesshoumaru was. Inuyasha had allowed this _woman_ to manipulate him, and not only that, but now he was receiving the blow from his attack. His brother was lucky that Sesshoumaru had enough time to shift the whip before it did some serious damage. Unfortunately, Inuyasha still got hit. He watched as the flesh on Inuyasha's cheek burbled angrily, while Inuyasha remained emotionless.

No matter how much Sesshoumaru hated his brother, he will _not_ fight him in his current state. Inuyasha was not at top strength, and had just recently recovered from his major injuries. This was not a battle Sesshoumaru wished to partake in. If he really wanted a battle with his brother, he would've done it when Inuyasha is in good health—not when he is weak and under control. To think Koukatsu would go as low as manipulating his brother... her time would soon be up, that much was guaranteed.

"Oh, so you _do_ care about your brother," Koukatsu said with a chuckle. "From what I heard, you hated your brother. You even tried to _kill_ him. And here you are, trying to prevent your brother from receiving your poisonous whip. Why hold back, Sesshoumaru? The hanyou is just a mistake your father made. Doesn't he deserve to die?"

It was true that Sesshoumaru hated his brother. Father died because of that _filth_ , and it was all his brother's fault that he had never been able to surpass his father's power. His father had married a mortal woman, sacrificed his life for her, and now the Western Lands had fallen to his care. Father should be the one in charge of the Western Lands. Father should be the most powerful demon alive right now. But because of that woman, everything changed.

Still, even after all of that happened, Sesshoumaru found himself—as much as he hated to admit it—reluctant to end his brother's life. He had watched Inuyasha grew up for years. He had witnessed how Inuyasha was able to defeat those who were suppose to be stronger than him. All those years of having to survive on his own had made his younger brother stronger, and capable in hunting down his prey. And soon, Sesshoumaru found himself admiring Inuyasha's strength.

It wasn't just that. After seeing Inuyasha pinned to the Goshinboku, he realised that he doesn't hate him as much as he thought he would. In the beginning, yes, there were numerous of times where he wanted to end Inuyasha as a pup. He ended forcing himself not to, because he wouldn't go as low as killing a defenseless child. However, he did make a promise that when Inuyasha is stronger, he would finally end his brother's life. But years had showed him—had taught him—to accept that it wasn't his brother's fault that Father died. Father died because he _chose_ to sacrifice his own life. When he thought about his father's will, he realised that his hate towards Inuyasha was only because of his anger towards Father.

In other words, yes, Inuyasha will one day die by his hand, but that doesn't mean he would allow it when the time wasn't right.

Koukatsu must've seen a slight shift in his expression, because her face grew serious. "I see you have made a decision."

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru said, and flicked his gaze to the miko that was still staring at them. "Miko."

She blinked. "Yes?"

"You will fight the puppets," Sesshoumaru said, his eyes now drifting to Koukatsu's blue ones. "Koukatsu, we will end this battle."

"You just took the words right out of my mouth," Koukatsu said as her eyes narrowed. She sat down on her cloud, and pointed a finger towards him. "Inuyasha, you will attack your brother—even if it costs your life."

Inuyasha slowly tilted his head, and leapt towards Sesshoumaru. He swung Tessaiga, but the sword met the ground instead. His dimmed golden eyes darted to see where the daiyoukai was standing next. He found his target and repeated the move; launching himself towards his brother's direction.

While Sesshoumaru was dodging Inuyasha's attacks, he was able to create a distance between Inuyasha and Koukatsu. If he dragged Inuyasha away from that woman, then Inuyasha would have no time to defend her by the time he attacks.

Sesshoumaru finally found the right time to attack Koukatsu. Since Inuyasha was now further away from her, Inuyasha won't make it to block his attack again. In one fast motion, Sesshoumaru spun around and moved to where Koukatsu was at. Koukatsu's eyes widened in shock. She wasn't quick enough to fully dodge the poisonous whip he lashed.

The green whip hit her stomach, and she immediately fell onto one knee, while one of her hands wrapped around her abdomen. Sesshoumaru thought he had ended her at first—even though it was a little too easy—but when a smile took over her lips, he was now aware about one thing: this was _not_ the real Koukatsu.

"Oops," she said mockingly, as her blue eyes became dull. "Looks like it will take some time before you find the real me."

* * *

Somewhere a little further from the battlefield, the real Koukatsu sat; her legs crossed on the ground. Her fingers steadily moved in order to control the hanyou that was under her manipulation. A smile took over her lips. It was only a matter of time before Sesshomaru would find out that the puppet sitting on the cloud wasn't the real her. Once she felt the said puppet no longer under her control, she knew that Sesshoumaru must've already ended it.

The reason why nobody had noticed her presence here is because she had created a barrier that would cover her aura, and make her invisible. It was the one barrier she had mastered in making in order to hide herself. Thousands of enemies had fallen into the same trap. They thought they had defeated her, and when they least expected it, she striked them down. It was too bad that the Inu no Taisho found out about her trick. But now that she had seen Sesshoumaru, it seemed that the daiyoukai did not pay close attention while his father previously battled her. Or else, he would've known already about her little barrier secret.

She turned her head to the side when she was aware of another's presence. She found Jikiko entering her barrier, and she greeted her puppet with a faint smile. The puppet was able to make it back here without anyone noticing. If there's one thing that everyone lacked, it's attention to their surroundings. Nobody seemed to search for the minor details, and that's how they usually fail. Though, that would give her an advantage because it was something she possessed that others don't.

"Jikiko," she said, breaking the silence, "I think it's time to access the hanyou's powers. List me some moves that the hanyou learned with the mighty Tessaiga."

" _Kaze no Kizu_ , and _Bakuryuuha_ ," her puppet answered impassively.

"Hmm... I'll go with Kaze no Kizu," she said, and shifted her fingers so that the attack would be aimed to Sesshoumaru. "Now, Jikiko."

" **Kaze no Kizu**."

* * *

While Sesshoumaru was occupied with battling Inuyasha, he noticed that Inuyasha had paused midway. The hanyou stood still, but then he raised Tessaiga. Inuyasha didn't say anything, but his sword glowed, and he could feel Tessaiga's power coming from it. It only took a second for Sesshoumaru to find out that Inuyasha will be unleashing the Wind Scar.

Not long after he found out what Inuyasha was planning, the Wind Scar appeared. Sesshoumaru managed to avoid from getting hit, and landed right behind the hanyou. Inuyasha whipped around to swing his sword at his brother, but Sesshoumaru was fast enough to knock Tessaiga out of his hands, and slammed his brother's back onto the earth ground. Tessaiga landed a few meters away from them, out of Inuyasha's reach.

"Inuyasha, you will cease this nonsense," Sesshoumaru said, as if that would snap his brother out of Koukatsu's control. He moved his head to the side when Inuyasha tried to swipe his claws at him. He narrowed his eyes, and glanced around to search for one of Inuyasha's companions.

He spotted the monk that was sucking puppets with his hand.

* * *

Miroku was busy using his Wind Tunnel. As he kept his focus onto the puppets, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stood. He pulled the beads to cover his Wind Tunnel as his body tensed at the sensation. Sango must've noticed his body gesture, because she started approaching him.

"Houshi-sama, is something wrong?"

Miroku glanced at her as he shivered. "I'm not sure, Sango. But I feel like someone is watching me..."

Sango blinked at him, and her eyes scanned at the surroundings. "Sesshoumaru is looking at you."

"Wh-What?" Miroku stuttered, and slowly turned his head to where Sango was looking. There, he saw Sesshoumaru glaring daggers at him. "Oh Buddha, he looks like he's going to kill me."

"Maybe he needs your help?" Sango commented.

"I hope so," Miroku said, gripping his staff. "I'm going to go to him."

Sango smirked. "Make sure you make it back in one piece, Houshi-sama."

Miroku laughed nervously, and started heading to where Sesshoumaru was at. A frown carved his lips as he saw Inuyasha struggling under Sesshoumaru. Kagome had informed him that Inuyasha was under the puppet master's control. It would explain the lack of shouting from his friend.

Before Miroku could ask whether Sesshoumaru needed his assistance, the daiyoukai startled him when he spoke, "Monk, you will assist this Sesshoumaru."

It wasn't a question—more like a demand. But Miroku valued his life, so there was no way he would decline. "How may I assist you, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment, before answering, "Are you capable in detecting a hidden demonic barrier?"

"If I concentrate hard enough, then yes," Miroku said with a nod. "But I don't see how that's going to help in this situation."

"This Sesshoumaru believes Koukatsu is hiding in a barrier that hides her presence," Sesshoumaru said, while his arm continues holding down both of Inuyasha's. "You will call the taijiya and miko. They are in charge of watching Inuyasha."

"I... Yes, of course," Miroku said, and turned around to head to Sango. He stopped, and glanced back at Sesshoumaru. "Now?"

"Do not test this Sesshoumaru's patience, Monk."

" _Now it is_ ," Miroku muttered to himself, and hurried to Sango and Kagome.

Kagome was busy firing arrows, but when she spotted Miroku, she stopped. Sango, on the other hand, continued swinging her Hiraikotsu towards the many puppets, with Kirara helping by her side. The puppets weren't as many as they were before, but there was still about a hundred more.

"Miroku-sama, is something wrong?" Kagome asked.

"If Sesshoumaru asking for my help is wrong, then yes," Miroku said, and shook his head as an indication to stop joking around. "Kagome-sama, Sango, Sesshoumaru wants you two to watch over Inuyasha."

"What?" Sango said, dodging a puppet's attack and quickly detaching its head. "What about you?"

Miroku swallowed the thick saliva that had gathered in his throat. "As for me, I will be _assisting_ Sesshoumaru."

Kagome and Sango snickered. Unable to control her laughter, Kagome had to cover her mouth with the sleeve of her school uniform, making it painfully obvious that she was trying her best to fight off from laughing.

Miroku sighed dejectedly. "Are you two coming or what?"

"We're coming, we're coming," Sango said, giving a wide smile. She swung Hiraikotsu over her shoulder, and followed Miroku.

Kagome and Sango gasped as Inuyasha was now lying on his stomach; Sesshoumaru pinning his hands behind his back. Sesshoumaru noticed their staring, but his expression remained neutral—as if he _wasn't_ sitting on Inuyasha right now. His eyes landed on Miroku, and he stood up from his position. He didn't notice the slight gasp that came out of the monk when he approached him.

When Sesshoumaru ordered for Miroku to follow, Miroku turned around to face his friends. "I'll be right back," he said, and spared a glance at Sesshoumaru. Noticing that Sesshoumaru wasn't looking, he looked back at his friends and whispered, "Please pray for my safety."

Sango gave a thumbs up, while Kagome burst out laughing.

* * *

Seeing Miroku's leaving form, Kagome focused back onto Inuyasha. Her eyes widened when she saw Inuyasha making his way to Tessaiga. Not knowing what to do, she decided that this was the time where she needed to use the word. Besides, she won't make it to Tessaiga even if she started running now.

"Osuwari!" she shouted, loud enough for the word to reach Inuyasha's ears. When the hanyou was slammed to the ground, Kagome started running to Tessaiga. She watched as Inuyasha pushed himself up. She mentally apologised to the hanyou, and gave another, "Osuwari."

She reached Tessaiga and tossed it to Sango. Sango caught it, and gave Kirara the task to watch over the sword. Now that Tessaiga was beyond Inuyasha's reach, taking care of Inuyasha won't be too hard. Still, Kagome couldn't afford lowering her guard. Inuyasha was under control, and his strength was much more stronger than any of them.

"Oh, so that's what it's for."

Kagome and Sango looked up to find Koukatsu sitting on a cloud. They had no idea that this wasn't the real her, but it didn't matter anyway. They watched as she lowered herself, and got off the cloud.

"So the beads are to subdue him. How interesting..." Koukatsu said, and fingered the beads around Inuyasha's neck. "Do you find it enjoyable?"

"What?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Do you like slamming him to the ground?" Koukatsu repeated her question, and noticed the wide-eye expression coming from Kagome. "Maybe you don't, but you still use it, right? Which means... you don't have much faith in him," she said, her voice soft as silk. At one point, she was already beside Kagome, her mouth at the miko's ear. She whispered, " _If you do trust him, those beads won't be there._ "

"Hiraikotsu!"

Koukatsu laughed as she leapt back; avoiding herself from getting hit by the flying boomerang.

Kagome stood still, her thoughts swirling around in her mind. Koukatsu was right. If she _did_ trust Inuyasha, those beads would've been taken off from him already. But she still used it—especially in an argument with Inuyasha. But... _But_...

"But... the beads had saved Inuyasha before," Kagome said, her voice almost inaudible.

"Don't try to defend yourself," Koukatsu said as a sly smile appreared on her lips. "How many times have you saved him with it compared to when you use it to subdue him?"

More times than she could count, that's for sure. She remembered that she saved Inuyasha only once with the beads. The other times...

Sango's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Don't listen to her, Kagome-chan. She's just trying to make you take off the beads from Inuyasha."

"But—"

Kagome's sentence was cut off when she heard Koukatsu chuckle. "Why would I want her to take the beads off?"

"Because Kagome-chan is the only one who can take them off," Sango said as she narrowed her eyes at Koukatsu. "And when she uses it, it'll stop you from making Inuyasha do things."

"Oh, that can easily be fixed," Koukatsu said, and walked behind Inuyasha. Her slender fingers lightly touched the beads around Inuyasha's neck. She muttered something that was inaudible to Kagome and Sango. Then, she slowly slid her fingers off the beads. "Now, let's see what you got."

Koukatsu pointed her finger to Kagome and Sango; a silent order to Inuyasha to attack his friends. With no hesitation, Inuyasha leaped forward to Sango, who was blocking his path to Kirara. Sango tried her best not to get hit from Inuyasha's claws. While dodging Inuyasha, Sango made eye contact to Kagome as a sign to use the beads, while Inuyasha was getting close with his speed.

Kagome nodded. "Osuwari!"

Her face paled when Inuyasha wasn't slammed to the ground. She heard Koukatsu laugh, but her voice was muffled in her ears; due to her panic.

"Osuwari!"

"It's no use," Koukatsu said, watching the scene in front of her with an amused smile. "I may not be able to completely remove the spell, but I can choose whether to activate it or not. It is a benefit that comes with manipulating others."

Sango let out a cry of pain when Inuyasha landed a kick towards her stomach. She doubled over, while Inuyasha hovered above her. His clouded eyes were locked onto her, before he moved to get Tessaiga from the guarding Kirara. Kirara growled and dodged when Inuyasha swung his claws at her.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome cried and hurried to her fallen friend. "Are you okay?"

Wrapping a hand around her abdomen, she let out a faint smirk. "Gotta admit, his kick packs a punch."

Both, Kagome and Sango were shocked when they suddenly heard Koukatsu shout, "Hanyou, you will come with me!" They turned their heads and found Koukatsu grabbing Inuyasha's wrist, and dragging him to wherever she was going.

Kagome instantly grabbed her arrow, and pulled it against the string of her bow. She filled the arrow with her spiritual powers, and fired it towards Koukatsu. "Oh no you don't."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** This chapter would've been way longer, but if I don't stop it here, I might not be able to finish it in time to update. So I apologise for suddenly cutting it off like that._

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **roseeyes:** Don't worry, all children are safe back at the village haha. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	16. The Performance

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** Whew, this had been a wonderful chapter to write. It's not as tiring as writing the other battles, but still... it's a battle here. -wipes sweat- Hope you enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 16:**

 _ **The Performance**_

* * *

Miroku nervously bit down his bottom lip, feeling his palms getting sweatier as he continue to follow the powerful demon in front of him. Something tells him that he should be proud that Sesshoumaru had asked him for his help, but he found himself much more relieved if he was left alone. But making a wise decision, he didn't say his preference out loud.

Not realising that Sesshoumaru had stopped, Miroku was only inches away into bumping him. He thanked Buddha that he didn't, or he would no doubt find one of his appendages lying on the ground.

He stared at Sesshoumaru stupidly as the demon was looking at him. He blinked; trying to think what he was supposed to do. He immediately remembered the daiyoukai's request, and quickly started using his spiritual powers to scan the area for any hidden demonic barrier. Knowing better than to waste Sesshoumaru's time, he forced his mind to concentrate hard to find the hidden barrier. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. So far, nothing came up, and he had to squash down the rising panic. Sesshoumaru had given his trust—or at least that's what he believed—and be wasn't going to disappoint him.

When he found nothing, he decided that he should put in more effort. He sat down cross-legged on the grass, and placed his staff beside him. He raised three fingers, and started chanting words that he had learnt during training. Soon, he found his mind calming down and able to detect something. He focused more, and realised that the barrier he was searching for was nearby. Then, his eyes flew open, and he used his staff to point where the barrier was located.

"There," he said, getting onto his feet. "That's where she's hiding."

Wasting no time, Sesshoumaru motioned to where Miroku had pointed, and looked down to absolutely nothing. Miroku caught up to him, and slapped down an ofuda at where he believed there was a barrier. Luckily for him, he was right, and a small blue barrier appeared in front of both; Sesshoumaru and Miroku. What lies inside of the barrier wasn't visible, but Miroku could tell that the enemy Sesshoumaru was searching for was in there.

Miroku jerked slightly when Sesshoumaru drew his sword. Wordlessly, the daiyoukai swung his sword to shatter the barrier. The barrier didn't budge, however. Instead, it made a crackling sound, and remained unscathed. To Miroku's misfortune, it raised the fury inside Sesshoumaru, and now the demon lord was glaring at his direction.

"Monk, you will remove the barrier."

Miroku nodded and placed another ofuda on the barrier. If Sesshoumaru couldn't break the barrier, then that would mean the barrier was really strong. It instantly reminded him of Naraku's barrier. He wasn't sure how effective his ofuda would work on the barrier, but if he can't break it, then that would mean they are in need of Kagome's arrow.

Miroku got to work with his task. He chanted a few words, and gave a slight nod to Sesshoumaru's direction as an indication that he was done. Sesshoumaru swung Tokijin again, but the barrier was still there. Miroku sighed and scratched the back of his head with his staff.

"I believe we need Kagome-sama for this one," Miroku explained, in hopes that Sesshoumaru would not kill him for not being able to break the barrier. "Her arrows will be able to break the barrier."

"Then you will bring her here."

Miroku nodded and started running for Kagome. When he was far away from Sesshoumaru, he let out a breath he didn't know he was keeping.

* * *

Miroku and Sesshoumaru may not be able to see what was inside the barrier, but Koukatsu can pretty much see what laid outside it. She watched in apprehension as the monk placed an ofuda to break the barrier. Damn monk. She was doing a good job hiding from Sesshoumaru, but because of _him_ , Sesshoumaru now knows where she was hiding. It was only in a matter of time before they decide to call the miko.

The miko wasn't that strong, but her arrows was something Koukatsu didn't take lightly. One shot from that arrow, and she just knew that her barrier would break. She would have to figure a way to get out of here alive.

"I'm going to bring that hanyou here. When I have him under my clutches, Sesshoumaru seems more hesitant to attack," Koukatsu said to Jikiko. Although the puppet was nothing but an empty vessel, she still considered it as company.

* * *

The arrow Kagome had fired hit Koukatsu, and the puppet dispersed in the air. Kagome realised that it was only a puppet, and found herself suddenly knocked to the ground by Inuyasha. She narrowly dodged the deadly claws that were aimed at her face. Thankfully, Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at them, and Inuyasha leapt off from her in order to dodge the flying boomerang.

"Kagome-chan!"

"Thanks, Sango-chan," Kagome said, as she got herself onto her feet. She brushed her palms on her uniform skirt, and kept her eyes on the hanyou. "Is Miroku-sama done already? How long do we have to fight Inuyasha?"

"I'm not sure, but I hope it's not long," Sango said, retrieving her Hiraikotsu. "Fighting him like this is unpleasant."

"Sango! Kagome-sama!"

Kagome turned around and found Miroku approaching them. She waved her hand and was startled when Miroku caught her arm. "Miroku-sama?"

"Quick," Miroku said, breathing heavily from the running. "Sesshoumaru wants you to break a barrier."

"But what about Sango-chan—"

"No time, let's go."

Kagome was dragged away by a hasty Miroku. Meanwhile, Sango kept her entire focus on Inuyasha; who positioned himself like an animal ready to pounce on its prey. She shifted Hiraikotsu, ready to defend herself if Inuyasha decided to launch himself towards her and attack.

"Inuyasha, I don't want to do this, but I just wanna let you know that the reason I do is because I don't want you getting hurt."

She knew he wouldn't react to her words, but at least he would understand her intentions. Slowly, she took out a bamboo tube, and started pouring out tiny black beads in the palm of her hand. Muttering a sincere apology, she threw the beads towards Inuyasha, and the thing exploded like a smoke bomb. When the smoke spreaded around, she already had a mask over her face, protecting herself from the smell. What she threw a second ago were scent beads that could easily knock out a demon—especially with a sensitive smell.

She watched as Inuyasha dropped to the ground with his eyes closed. She sighed in relief, and placed down her Hiraikotsu. She wanted to do this earlier, but with Kagome nearby, and with no other mask to help protect her friend, she just couldn't find the opportunity too. But now, she could focus back on fighting the puppets that were now searching for a target to fight. With Kirara by her side, she started attacking the puppets one-by-one.

* * *

"So all I have to do is fire my arrow?" Kagome asked, staring at the blue sphere in front of her.

"Yes," Miroku replied.

"Okay," Kagome said, and used one of her last few arrows. Determined, she made sure that the arrow was strong enough to shatter the barrier. "Here I go."

She released the arrow, and it flew directly at where she had aimed. As the sharp tip of the arrow made contact with the barrier, they watched as the barrier immediately dissolve, and their eyes were now looking at a sitting Koukatsu, with Jikiko by her side. She didn't look too happy seeing them take down her barrier, but she was a little too calm for someone who was about to lose her life.

"Leave," Sesshoumaru said. His eyes were locked onto Koukatsu, but his order was directed to the two humans nearby. "This Sesshoumaru has no further use with you ningen."

Kagome was about to open her mouth to tell him that he was being extremely rude for dismissing them like that, but Miroku was fast enough to drag her away before she could. She protested him a bit, but then she gave up and allowed herself to be dragged.

"What a jerk," Kagome huffed.

"Now, now, we should be thankful that he needs our assistance. That would mean he couldn't have done it without us," Miroku said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Well," Kagome begun, but finished lamely with, "You're right."

Not knowing to the two humans, Sesshoumaru could hear every bit of their conversation, even if they were already far away. He decided to let their words slide though, as he watched his arch enemy with a scowl tight on his face. His hands gripped on Tokijin, and the next thing the two demons knew, they were fighting a battle of life and death.

"Congratulations, you found me," Koukatsu said as she dodged each and every one of the daiyoukai's attack. When she spotted an opening, her claws grew a few inches and she swung it at the demon lord; which he was able to dodge too. "But it's obvious to me that without those filthy humans, you wouldn't have been able to break my barrier."

Her only response was a sword swung at her head—which she was lucky she was fast enough to dodge.

"I'm tired of this, Sesshoumaru. Don't you? Just hand me over the Western Lands, and maybe we won't have to see each other again."

She yelped when Sesshoumaru's sword pierced her arm. She staggered a few steps backwards, and it was a bad move. With a few seconds of being distracted from Sesshoumaru, the daiyoukai took this opportunity to make a beeline towards her, and shifted his sword so that it would hit the flesh of her belly.

And that was when Sesshoumaru heard the demon shout, " _Koukan_!"

* * *

Sango had gotten rid of the last puppet. She wiped the sweat on her forehead, and glanced to the side to give Kirara a victory smile. She then spun around, and was in time to see Inuyasha already getting up. Her eyes widened. Those beads were suppose to make him unconscious a little longer, but she guessed that it's because he's under control that he was able to wake up earlier than expected.

As she was about to stop him from getting Tessaiga, she felt someone grab her ankle. She looked down and found a tiny girl—about Shippou's height—wrapping her arms around her leg. The girl had pale skin and is holding her without any force. But Sango found herself frozen to the spot. She tried moving her limbs, but none of them would comply.

"What's going on?!" she shouted as she desperately tried to move _anything_ other than her mouth. She assumed the tiny girl may have something to do with her restricted movements. "Let go of me!"

In front of her, she saw Inuyasha glowing, and wondered what the hell was happening. But then, the light around him disappeared, and she was shocked with what she found next.

* * *

Sesshoumaru could tell that he was so close to piercing Koukatsu's flesh. He didn't hold back when swinging his sword directly at her. This was it. He was going to end this once and for all, and none of them would have to see Koukatsu's existence again.

But then all of a sudden, Koukatsu shouted something, and her form started glowing. Sesshoumaru didn't stop moving his sword, however, and continued moving it closer to the demoness' abdomen. Just when his sword was _so close_ , everything fell into slow motion. He watched as Koukatsu's form was suddenly replaced with his brother's. In that moment, he watched as awareness returned to his brother's once dimmed golden eyes. Inuyasha's eyes widened at the scene in front of him, but it was too late. Sesshoumaru couldn't stop at the very last second. Everything was happening too fast.

"What the—"

Sesshoumaru's sword pierced through the center of Inuyasha's firerat, and through the skin of his brother's. Dark crimson leaked at where he had pierced, and he stilled when Inuyasha coughed out blood. Blood dripped from the corner of his younger brother's mouth as his head lolled forward. Sesshoumaru was just in time to catch his brother before he collapsed to the ground.

Even with one arm, it was enough for Sesshoumaru to use it to sit his brother down. The sword was still in his brother's stomach, and Sesshoumaru wondered whether this was the right time to take it out or not. It turned out that Inuyasha wanted the thing out of his flesh as soon as possible, because his brother instantly pulled it out with one tug, and threw it aside. Inuyasha's face blanched right after the action. It turned out that recklessly pulling the sword out was a bad move, because blood started oozing out more.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, as he knelt on one knee. He didn't know exactly what to say. They were never close, so offering comforting words right now would seem disturbing. So he decided to state the obvious, "You are in need of medical attention."

"You don't say," Inuyasha said in a hoarse voice, and chuckled darkly. He wrapped his hand at the terrible wound, catching blood on his palm. "Well, at least that woman isn't controlling me anymore."

Sesshoumaru inwardly agreed. He tilted his head slightly when Inuyasha leaned back and laid outstretched on the ground. His hand was still over his stomach, but his eyes were failing to keep open.

"Don't mind me, I'm just... gonna take a nap."

Sesshoumaru could only stare at his brother's lying form. As his younger brother closed his eyes, Sesshoumaru stood up and walked over to his bloody sword. He stared at the item and remembered what had happened. Koukatsu had somewhat switched places with Inuyasha in order to flee from her impending death. She _knew_ how things were going to go, and had pulled another trick from under her sleeve. Sesshoumaru felt his ire rise. Koukatsu had once again fail to die, and is now running off in order to save herself.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to see his brother's laying figure. A pool of blood had started to form, and his brother was going to die if no one tends his wounds.

His vision was suddenly layered by crimson.

* * *

"How—?!"

Miroku, Sango and Kagome watched as Koukatsu appeared. Sango had the time to see Inuyasha being replaced with the puppeteer, but Kagome and Miroku didn't know what happened earlier, so they were now confused and thought that Koukatsu had teleported. That is, until Sango started shouting, "Where's Inuyasha?!"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said, and her eyes scanned the area around her. She then whipped her head towards the puppeteer. "Where is he?!"

Koukatsu looked at them with an annoyed look, and a cloud appeared behind her. She jumped onto the cloud, and the white thing started lifted her up in the air. They noticed that one of her arms were drawing out blood, and realised that she was injured.

Before she was high up in the sky, Kagome yelled, "Wait! Where's Inuyasha?!"

But everything was replaced with an eerie silence when every single one of them were overwhelmed by the sudden burst of a powerful youki. Not only did the power of youki froze everyone at their places, but the demonic aura itself spoke: _danger_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** If everything goes as planned, then the next chapter will be the last. I know, I'm not ready to end this too, but all good things must come to an end. (I mean, I know everything bad had been happening in this story, but it was a good thing to write, at least, for me.)_

* * *

\- **Replies** -

 **roseeyes:** It seems Kagome didn't have the opportunity to release Inuyasha from being controlled, but hey, at least he's not being controlled anymore, right? xD


	17. Finishing Act

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** Ah, the final chapter is here. I mean, there's still one more chapter, but the other chapter is just a bonus chapter, so you can choose whether or not to read it. I made a bonus chapter because I can't stand the chapters being an odd number (yes, I'm terrible). Thank you to everyone who had made it until the end. Even to those that didn't leave a review, but still read it, thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter. (This is gonna be long, so be prepared.)_

* * *

 **Chapter 17:**

 _ **Finishing Act**_

* * *

Damn it all.

Everything wasn't suppose to end up like this. She had lost too much. She had lost Mouretsu and Himitsu, and for what? She gained _nothing_. She lost her two most precious and powerful assets, yet, nothing she planned had been going her way. She thought at first; that maybe, just maybe, Himitsu and Mouretsu's sacrifice would give her something. But no. If she had known, she wouldn't have risked their lives in the first place.

She was still away from her goal to control the Western Lands. Her puppets were all wiped out. Her barrier had been shattered. Sesshoumaru was still alive. And now, she had to let go of the last valuable thing she possessed; which was the hanyou. Oh, how she wished she did not release the hanyou from her grasp. But if she didn't, she wouldn't have enough strength to spare after she switched places with the hanyou. Switching places with her puppet cost too much of her energy, and she didn't want to be left drained after exchanging.

Her hand wrapped around her bleeding arm. Great, she was a fool to allow that daiyoukai to strike her arm. She heard someone shouting something, and she looked up, only to find the hanyou's human companions. She shot them an annoyed look at their questions, and summoned her cloud to make her escape. If she stayed any longer, Sesshoumaru would be here, and she didn't have enough energy left to fight him off.

She got onto her cloud and it lifted her up in the sky. She heard the miko yelling something about the hanyou, but paid no attention to it. She was going to flee from here, and it seemed she would have to go back to planning everything again. Oh well, at least she had Jikiko. If she survived this, she could conquer the Western Lands—or the world—later. She had another plan anyway, and all she needed was Jikiko to accomplish her goal.

But then her body stilled at the terrifying aura that overwhelmed her senses. The hair behind her neck stood, and a shiver ran down her spine. No, that couldn't be... Sesshoumaru had released his youkai, which meant that he was serious of getting rid of her. He hadn't released it before, so what made him release it now?

She didn't realise that her cloud was slowing down. Panicking, she forced herself to use more of her remaining energy to fly faster. She glanced back, and her eyes widened when she spotted a blur of white heading her way. As the white thing came closer, she could see that on top of Sesshoumaru, was his younger brother; lying unconsciously on the daiyoukai's back.

Instead of chasing her, Sesshoumaru landed on the ground, causing Koukatsu to exhale a sigh of relief. She watched as the daiyoukai allowed the hanyou's human companions to retrieve his brother, before his crimson eyes were locked onto her. Her breathing faltered for a moment, and then adrenaline started pumping into her veins.

All of a sudden, she was the prey, and he was the predator.

She was being chased.

She could feel his presence right behind her.

She felt his teeth sunk into her body.

And then the world went black.

* * *

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, as she quickly dropped to her knees and crawled closer to the hanyou's lying form. She took a few seconds to examine the hanyou, and then realised that his midsection was bleeding a lot. "He's injured," she announced, and turned her head to face the rest of her friends. "Sango-chan, I need my backpack."

"Kirara and I will get it," Sango said with a nod, and hopped onto her nekomata. Without another word, they both flew off.

It was a good thing that Kagome had left her backpack earlier. Before they reached the clearing, which was the battlefield, she had left her backpack at one of the trees. She was worried that anyone might get injured, and was glad that she didn't listen to Inuyasha's complaints for delaying their trip. After a long lecture that anyone could potentially get hurt, especially the hanyou himself, Inuyasha let out a deep sigh and agreed that she should bring that giant backpack of hers. Of course, she wanted to bring it during battle, but there was a chance that she might lose her backpack while fighting. So, she made a last minute decision to leave it at the forest instead.

"He's losing too much blood," Kagome said, as she shifted Inuyasha so that she could take off his suikan.

Miroku assisted her by lifting the hanyou's torso. They had to struggle with all the blood, but at one point, Kagome didn't care anymore and allowed the blood to catch onto her school uniform. She would have to wash them thoroughly later, or ask Mama to buy a new set. But for now, she focused on her task.

They were able to get rid of Inuyasha's suikan and kosode, and Kagome had to fight the urge to vomit at the unsightly patch of dark red at the hanyou's abdomen. It looked so bad; no wonder it wouldn't stop bleeding. How Inuyasha was able to get himself impaled, she would have to ask him when this was over.

Sango had good timing, because she arrived with Kagome's giant yellow backpack right after they had removed Inuyasha's suikan. Kagome let out a quick thanks, and attempted to clean the blood that was still flowing out. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she tried to wipe off the blood, more would come out. She let out a grunt of frustration, and decided to just wrap the wound with bandages.

"I don't understand," Kagome said, her voice breathless due to the exhaustion. "He's _still_ bleeding, and his demon side still hadn't taken over. Tessaiga isn't even with him. What's happening?"

"I think it's because I threw the scent beads at him," Sango admitted sheepishly, and helped Kagome with the bandages. "The beads could knock a demon out, especially one with a sensitive smell."

"No wonder," Kagome muttered, and tied the bandages tightly, but not too tight. "It would be helpful if Inuyasha's demon side could come out now. I know he'll be hard to deal with, but at least he could heal faster," she said, and wiped the sweat that had gotten onto her forehead. "We should bring him back to the village. He's still bleeding."

"You're right," Sango said, and threw a glance towards Miroku. "Houshi-sama, can you grab Tessaiga?"

Miroku nodded and headed over to the sword's scabbard.

As Kagome turned her attention onto the hanyou again, a shadow loomed over, and she had to turn her head to see who was standing behind her. She was startled to see Sesshoumaru's eyes on her, before it flicked towards his brother.

"This Sesshoumaru will bring the hanyou back to the village," Sesshoumaru said, and narrowed his eyes when Kagome was reluctant to allow him near Inuyasha. "The hanyou will die without proper care, Miko."

Kagome hesitated at first—afraid that Sesshoumaru might harm Inuyasha—but then she had a feeling that Sesshoumaru wouldn't hurt him. There were numerous of times when Sesshoumaru saved his brother, and if he'd planned to kill Inuyasha, he could've done so a long time ago. So, giving a slight nod, she moved away for Sesshoumaru to bend down and lift his brother up with his only arm. Since the daiyoukai only had one arm, he had to use the fluffy thing that was over his shoulder to support Inuyasha as he lifted them both into the air.

And then they both left.

"Um... I brought Tessaiga," Miroku said as he awkwardly held the sword in his hand. "So... I guess we'll be going back on our own."

"Kirara can't take more than two people," Sango said, and stroked the nekomata's yellow fur. "Houshi-sama, can you wait while I send Kagome-chan first? I'll come back here once she's at the village to pick you up."

"Why of course, my dear—"

There was a resounding slap.

"Houshi-sama, you'll be walking."

* * *

Sesshoumaru landed on his feet, and the first thing he _had_ to hear was an irritating screech. His eyes looked down, and he spotted the thing that was emitting such a horrible noise to his sensitive ears. The said thing was his retainer, and he had to fight off the snarl that was rising at the back of his throat.

"Jaken," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. The toad immediately got onto his feet. "Inform the miko about the hanyou's state."

Jaken opened his mouth—probably to let out a protest—but stopped when his eyes examined the unconscious hanyou in his lord's arms. He then closed his mouth, gave a nod, and hurried inside Kaede's hut to do as he was told.

When Sesshoumaru entered, Kaede was already ready with the medicinal herbs and bandages to replace Inuyasha's now bloodied ones. Wordlessly, she tend the hanyou's wounds, never once breaking her focus from the hanyou. Sesshoumaru mentally nodded in satisfaction at the old miko's service, and sat down to watch her treat his younger brother.

He noticed that Inuyasha's bleeding had slowed down, and that the damaged skin was starting to mend. This had made the old miko's job easier, and she easily replaced the old bandages with clean, new ones.

As Kaede was doing her job, Sesshoumaru took a while to examine his brother's face. His face was something that expressed youth, pain, and fiery. Inuyasha was still very young, and he would stay that way until a few more centuries. Even if his eyes were closed, Sesshoumaru could still detect the pain that overlaid his face. Whether it was from the years of having to survive on his own, or from his wound, or both, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure. One thing he _was_ sure was that, from now on, things would change between them. Sesshoumaru had decided a few days ago; that he should stop blaming his father's death upon Inuyasha. He had been blaming his younger brother for far too long, even if his brother had nothing to do with it.

He had decided; he would allow Inuyasha to live.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head, and found Rin standing at the doorway, with her large honey eyes. She was holding tiny flowers in her hands; a sign that she had been out for a while.

"You may come in, child," Kaede said, as she stood up. She met Sesshoumaru's questioning gaze, and explained, "I will be heading to the river to fetch a bucket of water."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, but watched as the old miko left the hut. Rin was distracted too, before she faced him again and entered the hut. She knelt on the ground and handed him the flowers she had gathered. "Sesshoumaru-sama, these are for you," she said with a big, bright smile.

Sesshoumaru accepted the flowers with a small nod. "Rin, are you well?"

"Yes! Kaede-sama has fed and allowed Rin to bathe in the river," she said, and her face contorted into a look of disgust. "But Jaken-sama wouldn't take a bath, so he is smelly."

Sesshoumaru would've chuckled if it was in his nature, but he only responded the child with a very faint smile. He then faced his brother again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, will Inuyasha-sama be okay?"

"The hanyou will heal," Sesshoumaru replied, and placed the flowers at his side. "He does not die easily."

Rin nodded, and they both sat quietly in the hut. To someone else, it might've been uncomfortable to stay in one place like this with a stoic demon lord, but to Rin, she was far from feeling uncomfortable. She knew when it was the time to ask questions, and when not to disturb a comfortable silence. Sesshoumaru admired that part of her. Unlike _some_ babbling toad, she knew when talking wasn't necessary.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened very slightly as a soft moan escaped his brother's lips. He stood up, moved closer to the lying hanyou, before sitting cross-legged again. Inuyasha was stirring, and even though he knew that sitting this close wasn't exactly a wise choice, he couldn't care less about the consequences.

Inuyasha opened his eyes. He blinked sluggishly, before slowly turning his head to the side, and found Sesshoumaru staring at him. He bolted upright, and instantly regretted the decision, because pain shot through his abdomen. Even though didn't let out any indication that he was in pain, Sesshoumaru could see it clearly written on his face.

"You have finally regain consciousness."

"Yeah..." Inuyasha said, his voice hinting discomfort at Sesshoumaru's close promixity. He took a few sniffs in the air. "Where are the others?"

"They were left behind."

"What—" Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Why didn't you—what if the enemy is still alive?!"

"Inuyasha, I have eaten the enemy," Sesshoumaru said, and arched an elegant brow. "Do you really think this Sesshoumaru is not capable of completing his objective?"

"You _ate_ the enemy?"

"Most youkai prefer to eat humans because they taste better, but demons are edible too."

"Glad I'm a half-demon then," Inuyasha muttered, and his eyes fell onto Rin, who was staring at him. "What are ya lookin' at, kid?"

"Oh, nothing," Rin said, blushing due to her own embarassment for being caught. "It's just... Inuyasha-sama's ears are really cute."

Now Inuyasha's face was a much deeper crimson than the child's. His ears automatically twitch on his head, and he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Can... Can Rin touch it?"

Inuyasha's ears perked up, and he shot a look to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru received his gaze, and the look Inuyasha was giving right now was as if he was asking whether the child was serious or not. Sesshoumaru simply stared back at him, as if to say _yes, she is serious_ and his brother got the message—or at least, Sesshoumaru thought he got the message.

Inuyasha looked at Rin, and shrugged. "Sure, I guess?"

Rin gasped, as if not expecting the answer. She crawled over to Inuyasha, her hand extended to touch the fluffy appendages. She stopped when her fingers almost touched the silver ears, and she glanced at Sesshoumaru, as if asking for permission to touch his brother's ears. It was unnecessary for her to ask for his permission—since those ears belonged to his brother—nonetheless, he still gave a small inclination of his head. It earned him a huge smile.

The two brothers watched as Rin rub her index finger at the base of Inuyasha's ear. Sesshoumaru could see Inuyasha tense under her ministrations, but then, he relaxed. It was understandable for his brother's reaction. Sesshoumaru had seen a few kids try to pull his brother's ears years ago, while his brother was a pup. It wasn't as if Sesshoumaru was spying his brother or anything during that time, but Sesshoumaru had to make sure the whelp didn't die before he got the chance to kill him. Of course, the thought of killing his brother had changed now.

* * *

It had been around half an hour since he had woken up, before Kagome's scent hit his nosetrils.

The flap was violently pushed aside, and in came Kagome, whose face lightened up the moment she saw him. She rushed towards him, and knelt right in front of him to offer him a hug. Inuyasha blushed at the contact, but didn't pull away. Reluctantly, he awkwardly returned the hug with one arm.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and inspected his face. "You alright? You were bleeding non-stop."

"He is fine, child. He had to have a few stitches, but he'll live," came Kaede's voice.

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! As if some sword could kill me."

What he didn't know was that; had Sesshoumaru casted an ability with his sword, he would've died.

Sango was the next to enter. Kirara was right on top of her shoulder in her small cat form. "Inuyasha, I'm glad you're okay. You alright? I'm really sorry for, um, throwing some scent beads a while back."

Inuyasha waved his hand nonchantly. "It's fine, but never use that on me again."

"Inu," _pant_ , "ya," _pant_ , "sha."

Everyone whipped their heads and found a sweaty monk entering the hut. He looked like he was about to pass out, and Inuyasha had to wonder what the hell happened to him.

"Geez Monk, what had you been doing? Did you run all the way here or something?" Inuyasha asked, and chuckled at his own joke.

But when Kagome and Sango were silent, the hanyou had a feeling that _that_ was what happened.

"Wait, you didn't make him run back here, did you?"

"Of course we did," Sango suddenly snapped, and whirled around to point a finger directly at the panting monk. "He couldn't keep his hands to himself, so he got what was coming."

"Now Sango, I told you many times that this hand was cursed..."

"You're even doing it right now!" _Slap_. "Get your hands _off_ me!"

Inuyasha sighed, and turned back to look at his brother; who was watching the scene with slight amusement evident on his face. At one point, Inuyasha didn't even realise that Rin had stopped rubbing his ear. Her fingers were so gentle, that it probably wasn't even there. He faced the little girl and found her, too, watching the scene with a laugh ready as a reaction.

"Oh, hold on," Kagome said, and slid the straps of her backpack off her shoulders. She searched for something inside, and took out Inuyasha's suikan and kosode. "Here. It's still covered in blood, but I'll help you wash them later."

"Nah, the firerat can clean itself. I'll just have to clean the kosode," Inuyasha said, and accepted the bunch of clothing handed to him. "Thanks."

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, his voice immediately silencing every single conversation. "This Sesshoumaru would like to speak to you in private."

Inuyasha was in a too much of a good mood to do his usual complaining, so he answered with, "Wait, lemme just—" he tried getting up, but Kaede stopped him.

"Everyone, let us give them some privacy," the old miko stated, and everyone complied by heading out of the hut.

As everyone started leaving the hut, Inuyasha heard a shriek, followed by the sound of someone crying out his name.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou cried out while bursting inside the hut. The kit whipped his head towards his direction, and leapt onto his chest. Inuyasha let out a groan when the kitsune accidentally landed on top of his injured abdomen. Shippou quickly got off from him. "Sorry!"

"Damn," Inuyasha hissed, as his hand wrapped around the bandaged injury. His eyes landed on the remorseful kit, and he forced himself to grin. "Where have you been, runt?"

Shippou immediately forgot what he had done by the change of subject. He grinned. "I was actually playing hide-and-seek with Rin," he said, and then glared daggers at said child, who was about to leave the hut. "But _somebody_ forgot to search for me. So I had to wait for a _long_ time."

"Oh, sorry, Shippou! Rin has totally forgotten to search for you!" Rin said, her eyes widening.

The remainding people in the hut turned their heads when they heard Sesshoumaru clear his throat. Inuyasha realised that it was a signal; that his brother couldn't wait anymore. He faced Shippou. "Listen, Sesshoumaru and I gotta do some talkin'. So you wait outside with everyone else, okay?"

"What? But Sesshoumaru might kill you!" Shippou exclaimed, and backed away at Sesshoumaru's stare. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued bravely, "A-And he's a big meanie and—"

"Don't worry, Shippou, I'll be fine," Inuyasha reassured. "Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, and probably Sesshoumaru feels the same way too, he recently had saved my life, so," he shrugged, "I don't see what you gotta be so worried about."

"I... I guess you're right..." Shippou said, unsurely, and nodded. "Okay, I'll leave."

With the last person leaving the hut, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were finally left alone to discuss the events that had happened.

* * *

Dull blue eyes stared ahead as her feet padded softly against the earth. It was weird. Jikiko knew she wasn't suppose to feel anything, yet, she was feeling _something_. Was she suppose to have feelings? No. She remembered that her purpose was only to serve her master. She was only suppose to be just a puppet. An emotionless, obedient _thing_. She wasn't suppose to feel how demons or humans felt. She was suppose to feel _nothing_.

But after her master had successfully been defeated, all of a sudden, it was as if her body had gained a mind of its own. She was starting to feel things, and was able to think too. Could it be it was because of this _thing_ inside of her? She had no idea what her master had implanted into her that was able to turn her into a powerful puppet, but all she knew was that if she continue to let it grow, the world would be in danger.

If it was in her nature, she would've laughed.

When had she cared about the world?

It must be because of this _thing_ that was making her care. This _thing_ inside of her was giving her emotions.

She wanted to live as a normal demon at least. Wanted to. But she knew she couldn't. The _thing_ that was living inside of her body may be asleep now, and allow her to control the body, but once it grows stronger, it would probably destroy every living being it encounters. No, she wasn't talking about destroying as in damaging their body. She was talking about destroying their mind.

Yes, the _thing_ inside of her could destroy minds. That was the worst part.

How many demons had she killed already by passing through this forest? She had encountered a few, and none of them had survived. If it was in her power, she would've spared all of them. But even though the _thing_ inside of her was resting, its power somewhat radiated off her, and it was affecting nearby living beings. After they had been affected, all of them lost their minds. And just like that, they all died because their brain couldn't handle the thing that was destroying each and every cell.

But she had nothing to worry about.

Because she was slowly falling apart.

Numerous cracks on her porcelain skin had made it evident that she wasn't going to live very long. The _thing_ inside of her was too much to handle, and it seemed her body couldn't withstand its power. Without her master's power, nothing was keeping her body together.

She was going to die, and she would bring the _thing_ along with her. She stopped walking and looked up into the night sky. How she wished she could live a little longer to explore the mysteries of the world. But it was for the best. If she continued to live, the _thing_ inside of her would take over her body anyway, and the outcome would be the same; she would die. Or at least, her mind will. With this _thing_ gone, the world wouldn't be in so much danger.

Oh, she was thinking about the world again.

What was so fascinating about this world?

She dropped to her knees, and found that some parts of her skin had scattered on the ground like a china doll that had shattered. She looked back and found a trail of pieces of her skin that was left behind. Her vision was suddenly clouded, and she knew she wasn't going to live much longer.

 _It's okay_ , she thought. _The world would be safer without me_.

She met the darkened sky filled with stars as her head laid on the ground.

 _You liar, it's not okay._

 _You_ want _to live another day._

 _You don't care what happens to the world. You want more time to explore it._

Was her last thought.

Before her body crumbled.

* * *

Inuyasha stood outside of Kaede's hut. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the familiar village, as his ears caught the sound of the villagers talking. Morning had finally arrived, and he had a good night's rest. He had slept peacefully that night, since no danger would come when Sesshoumaru was around, and that allowed his body to heal. The wound on his abdomen was gone, and he had never felt greater than ever.

Yesterday, Sesshoumaru had, surprisingly, talked a lot to him. It started with an awkward silence at first, but then Sesshoumaru started talking about the subject that had been on their minds; which was the battle with Koukatsu. Then, the conversation slowly shifted about their relationship. Inuyasha hadn't expected for Sesshoumaru to discuss about them, but it was great to know that Sesshoumaru no longer held any hatred towards him. Although, it did take Sesshoumaru quite some time before he finally reached the conclusion that he was sorry. Yes, Sesshoumaru had apologised to him. His message wasn't direct, but Inuyasha got the message.

To know that your brother finally accepted you, it was everything that Inuyasha had dreamt of. Oh, he _was_ wary at first, since this was definitely not like his brother. But then, Sesshoumaru—being the talented demon he was—was able to convince him that he would no longer try to kill him. So he decided, why not give his brother a chance? His brother _did_ save his life, and that rarely happens.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Sesshoumaru's scent hit his nose. His eyes looked up, and he noticed that Sesshoumaru had gathered his pack; meaning, they were about to leave. "You leavin' already?"

"Naraku has yet to be stopped," Sesshoumaru replied, and his eyes focused on something else. Inuyasha realised that Sesshoumaru was looking at his friends, who were standing beside him. Sesshoumaru's eyes then fell onto him again. "I will seek you from time to time to discuss about Naraku's whereabouts."

The widened eyes on his friends' faces reminded him that he hadn't told them what Sesshoumaru and himself had discussed. Which meant, they didn't know that Sesshoumaru and him were on good terms now.

"Yeah, guess I'll wait for ya 'til then," Inuyasha said, and subconsciously scratched the back of an ear. "So, uh, see you later then?"

Inuyasha heard Jaken snorted, while Rin waved at him. "Goodbye Inuyasha-sama," she said, and looked at his friends. "Goodbye everyone."

Kagome and everyone else waved goodbye at Rin. Shippou, as Rin's friend, gave his goodbye by hugging the girl. After they seperated from each other, Rin took a few seconds to bow to Kaede as a thank you, and gave the old miko a tight hug. As she pulled away, her face was suddenly excited, and she turned to look at Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, aren't you going to do _it_ with Inuyasha-sama?"

Inuyasha froze, and his brows furrowed as he looked at Sesshoumaru's stoic face. "Wha—"

Inuyasha didn't expect for Sesshoumaru to close the distance between them, and wrapped his only arm around him, pulling him into an embrace. He could practically hear his friends' jaws dropped, he could hear Jaken faint, and he could see the villagers—who were passing by—were in deep shock. The world was suddenly silent, and he found himself failing to breathe. This was just... abnormal. Sesshoumaru was actually _hugging_ him!

Sesshoumaru released his hold, and Inuyasha looked up to see his brother's face. Sesshoumaru's face was a mask, but it no longer held the hostility it had for him. The look of disgust was gone, and the fiery in his eyes had disappeared. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. Sesshoumaru was actually making an effort to fix their relationship as a family.

All of a sudden, Inuyasha hated his human side. These _stupid_ , idiotic tears started forming around his eyes, and he had to quickly blink them away before anyone notices. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru had a good sense of smell, and the slight tilt of his head told Inuyasha that his brother knew.

"I-Idiot," Inuyasha stuttered, trying to keep his voice even. The small smile on his face betrayed him. Nonetheless, he continued with a gruff, "What was that all about?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama had asked Rin what she would do if she wanted to apologise to her brother, so Rin answered that Rin would hug him," Rin said cheerfully, ignorant to the fact that Sesshoumaru's eyes barely widened and his body stiffened. "He also told Rin not to tell..." her voice trailed off, and a gasped escaped her lips. She spun around to face Sesshoumaru. "Sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

If it was in his character, Inuyasha had no doubt that Sesshoumaru would've slapped his forehead. He tried not to laugh at his brother's injured pride, since his brother didn't make a comment when he cried, but the damn grin was able to make its way to his face.

"Let's go, Rin," Sesshoumaru said, a little too quickly, and headed for the forest in long strides. His brother was probably planning to get out of here as soon as possible.

Rin gave an apologetic smile, and rushed towards her lord. Even if she was far away, he could hear her sending apologies to his brother. He snorted as Sesshoumaru looked like he had quickened his pace.

"Huh? Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken had finally returned to consciousness, and realised that everyone else in his group was missing. He searched frantically for his master, before jumping onto his feet. "Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

When everyone could no longer see Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha turned around, only to find everyone bemused.

"What... just happened?" Kagome asked, sparing a glance at Miroku and Sango.

"Sesshoumaru hugged Inuyasha," Sango said, her face blank, as if she was still trying to process with what she had seen. "I'm pretty sure that's what I saw."

"Do not fear, Sango, I witnessed the same thing," Miroku stated, and slowly faced the hanyou. "Care to tell us what just happened?"

Inuyasha nodded, and explained to them what he had discussed with his brother. Everyone didn't believe that Sesshoumaru would no longer attack him at first, but then everyone started agreeing that Sesshoumaru _did_ act a lot nicer towards him.

"I'm glad you two made up... sort of," Kagome said, and beamed. "It's nice to know that he's on our side now."

"Yeah, me too," Inuyasha said with a nod.

"So... are we going to start searching for Naraku or what?" Miroku asked.

"Nah," Inuyasha said, and looked up at the sky. "Let's start searching for him tomorrow. For today, let's take a break."

Everyone cheered happily at the rare vacation the hanyou was giving. They all started seperating as each individual plan to spend some quality time with whatever they had in mind.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, and Inuyasha flicked his gaze at her. "Thank you. And don't worry, we'll get Naraku."

"I know," Inuyasha said, and smirked.

Kagome smiled at him, and entered Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was left with his thoughts at first, until he heard someone clearing their throat. He looked down and spotted Shippou giving him the largest grin he had ever seen.

 _Oh no—_

" _Inuyasha was crying_ ," Shippou said in a sing-song voice, and batted his lashes. "I didn't know he could—"

" _Shut up_!" Inuyasha shouted, and gave a kick that sent the kitsune flying into the air. He sighed, and his eyes glanced back at the direction at where Sesshoumaru had left. A small, genuine smile took over his lips.

"So what if I did?"

* * *

\- **End** -

* * *

 _ **A/N:** To be completely honest, I almost, almost forgot about Shippou and Jikiko, but no worries, they were able to have their own part. This had been a pleasant journey. And yes, I did write Sesshoumaru hugging his brother. It might be a little out of character, but hey, let's give those two a happy moment, am I right?_

 _Thank you to everyone who read this and left a review. This was my first Inuyasha fanfic, so it motivated me when I see people leaving a review. Time to start writing the next chapter for my other story, cause I haven't updated it in a while. Again, thank you everyone for your support._

 _And want to know how this story started? It all started when I was taking a shower, and my mind was like; hey, let's make a story where Inuyasha gets tortured. And all of a sudden, this happened. I have no idea how these characters suddenly appear or how Sesshoumaru was suddenly involved. They just did. So yeah... that's how Bloodshed was created. I'm not the type that sits down and plans on what to write on my story. I'm more of the type that goes with the flow. But trust me, I'm really trying to write at least a few notes before creating a story, because mistakes are bound to happen when I write like this._

 _Again, thank you to those who read it till the end._

 _ **(And if you want to read more, there's always an epilogue...)**_


	18. The Dog Brothers

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** Woohoo, an epilogue! (All because I want to avoid the number of chapters from being odd lol.)_

* * *

 **Epilogue:**

 ** _The Dog Brothers_**

* * *

It had been months since the group encountered with the creepy puppet. Their encounter had almost costed Inuyasha's life, yet, that same encounter had allowed Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to fix their familial relationship. Both good and bad were the outcome of the events that had happened, and they weren't sure which one was more than the other. Nonetheless, they were glad that everything was all over, and now, they were back to searching for Naraku and the remaining jewel shards.

Everyone didn't know at first that Naraku was also involved in capturing Inuyasha, until the hanyou himself revealed it. Ever since he revealed it, everyone was eager to search for Naraku in order to take revenge for what he had done to him. Inuyasha, too, wanted to fight the guy, but he wasn't so eager, since he knew that one day, Naraku would be defeated. And no matter what, he would be the one to deliver the final blow, and teach Naraku not to mess with him.

He stopped walking when he caught the scent of his brother's. The rest of his companions stopped too, and they knew what it meant when he calmly waits for a person to made their appearance. They had long become accustomed to Sesshoumaru visiting them. Though, they were always prepared, in case Sesshoumaru decided to turn his back on him—which Inuyasha had reassured he doubt that would happen. Unless an unexpected situation occured.

"It's Sesshoumaru, right?" Kagome asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, it's him all right."

Not long after he said it, Sesshoumaru emerged from the forest in front of him, and started heading towards him. Behind the daiyoukai, Rin was waving at them as she was sitting on Ah-Un, while Jaken was trying to catch up with his master's pace.

Sesshoumaru stopped in front of him, and gave a nod in greeting. "Have you heard anything about Naraku?"

"No," Inuyasha said, and shook his head. "Met him last week, but haven't seen him since. I think the guy's plannin' something."

Sesshoumaru gave a small inclination of his head, before he extended his arm to give something to him. Inuyasha lifted his palm, and felt something small and rocky dropping onto his hand. His eyes widened when he realised it was a jewel shard.

"How did you find it?" Inuyasha asked, handing the shard to Kagome.

"I didn't," Sesshoumaru said, and explained, "A demon made an attempt to attack me. The demon had unusual strength, so I assumed there was a shard in its body."

"How were you able to see it? I mean, it could be anywhere in its body."

"I chopped off every limb until I was able to find it," Sesshoumaru said, and smirked at Inuyasha's reaction. "Do you really think that this Sesshoumaru is incapable of such task?"

He gave his elder brother a crooked grin. "No."

The two of them stared at each other, before realising that there was nothing else to say. Even if they were trying to achieve that brotherly relationship, they realised that it wasn't easy. After years of expressing hatred to one another, it wasn't so simple to change and pretended that nothing happened before this. But still, it was better than the relationship they previously had. Even if the process to fix their relationship was slow, they would take it. It _was_ better to take things little by little anyway.

"If there is nothing else, I will be taking my leave," Sesshoumaru said, and spared a glance at Inuyasha's companions. He gave a nod of acknowledgement, before turning around to his retainer and ward. "Let's go."

Inuyasha watched as his brother's form become smaller, until he was no longer visible. He exhaled, before a smile made its way to his lips.

Unfortunately for him, his expression didn't go unnoticed. "Awww," Kagome cooed, and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm glad you two made up."

Inuyasha's face was flushed, and he took a few steps back away from her. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Inuyasha, we all could very well see you grinning like an idiot," Miroku said, and rubbed his chin with a wide smile. "It reminded me of the time when those beautiful female villagers—"

Sango smacked Miroku's head.

"Ouch."

Shippou, who was standing near Kirara, shook his head with his arms crossed. "Idiot."

Kagome laughed, and grabbed Inuyasha's hand in a reassuring matter. "It's okay to be happy, Inuyasha. In fact, I've never seen you this happy before. You deserve it."

Inuyasha wanted to tell her that half-demons like him usually doesn't deserve this. By this, he meant having friends and having your brother to accept you. But he decided against it, because it will only earn him a scolding about how he was worth it and all. He really wanted to believe it, but the words people had spat to him for years still haunted him. He remembered that there was a time when he was on the verge of giving up; because he had to continously fight each and every demon he met. That is, until Sesshoumaru made an appearance. He remembered his brother's harsh words that had insulted him, and ever since then, he tried to prove to his brother that he was worthy.

In other words, Sesshoumaru had deeply hurt him, but because of him, he was able to pull himself together and get through the hardships of life. So maybe it was safe to say that Sesshoumaru had saved him?

All of a sudden, Kagome tensed, and spun around in a random direction.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, his hand resting on Tessaiga's hilt.

"Jewel shards," she answered, and pointed to the direction ahead of her. "That way."

Miroku stepped forward, and glanced at him. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Inuyasha smirked at the thought of having to battle. He crouched low, and Kagome got onto his back. Kirara transformed into her huge fire cat form, and allowed Miroku, Shippou, and Sango to get onto her. Sango got ready with her Hiraikotsu, and Kagome fidgeted with her bow; all preparing themselves for an upcoming battle.

Inuyasha bent his legs, then pushed his body into a high leap.

He was glad that they were back to hunting shards.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry that it's short, but hope you guys still enjoy it. Thank you for reading (even the epilogue). Until next time._


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